Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-08-25
Firefighting From the Air
Paratroopers and Proximty.fused Extingusher Bombs
Are Being Used in New Type of Arborne Defense
By ". H. Shbben, Jr.
y ". II. OHtppeU, J
Avio,ion Editor Of The Sfor

Uncle Sam is building up an airborne
striking force this summer to compete with
lightning speed against a threat OF disas-
trous forest fires in the West.
With some regions approaching the finder
box stage after one Of the driest seasons in
40 years, little army Of 235 parachutists is
dispersed at strategic points to cover vast
wilderness area where a spark might become
a raging conflagration before land parties
could reach it.
The smoke jumpers who operate over Cali
fornia, washington, Oregon, Montana. South
Dakota, Idaho, Utah. Nevada and wyoming,
were reinforced this August in Southern Cali
fornia by airborne fre-hghters who arrived
in fleet of helicopters.
Another technique believed emerging from
the experimental to the operational stage is
precision bombing by combat aircraft using
jettison tanks and thin-shelled bomb castings
full of water or fire-dampening chemicals
Proximity Fuses on Water Bombs.
The liquids are scattered at chosen heights
above the fire by an explosive charge set off
with proximity fuses. The experiments are
being run this summer from base at Great
Falls, Mont, by q unit from the Army Air
Forces proving ground at Egln Field, Fla, in
cooperation with the Forest Service, Agricul-
ture Department.
The unit is using q Superfortress, which can
carry 1874 10o-pound chemical bombs, or sew
eral thin-shelled bombs of the 4,000-pound
size; two Thunderbolts, carrying 165-gallon
iettison tanks under each wing, and Billy
Mitchell medium bomber
Bombing q small fire just kindled, or spot
ting the liquids near raging blaze to pro-
tect life OF property, calls for more precision
than combat drops. Early tests from transport
airplanes failed through lack Of accuracy The
high cost OF the military operation is balanced
by its training value to air crews.
The Importance of reaching a fire at the
earliest possible instant cannot be exaggerated,
according to Arthur A. Brown, who directs
the far-fiung Forest Service fire control net
work from his Office in the Agriculture Depart
ment here Aircraft with smoke jumpers and
equipment are en- route at $50 to 800 miles an
hour long before ground parties, which some
times require q week to reach the scene, can
be organized.
Many Are Ex-Paratroopers.
The Forest Service airborne force includes
five Canadian built Norsemen, capable OF
transporting six to eight parachutists; several
light patrol and scout planes and small fleet
of general-purpose cabin planes-17 in all. The
planes are based mostly in remote sections, and
are reinforced by charter planes rs the need
arises.
The smoke jumpers have Civil Service status,
but most are on temporary duty through the
fire season. They are recruited from local
residents, including paratrooper veterans and
college students. During the war, a number Of
conscientious DIRECTORS volunteered for the
service.
More than 5000 operational jumps have been
made over rugged tree-studded terrain with
out fatality.
The tall timber Is just "feather-bed land
ing for the smoke jumpers, who 60 down in
padded suits, ankle braces, helmets, face
protectors of baseball mask type, and a rope
long enough to let them down in case they find
themselves hanging like Christmas tree
ornament from Douglas fir.
Their e-fighting equipment is parachuted
down after them, marked by orange-colored