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Jumping Fire: A Smokejumper's Memoir of Fighting Wildfire
During one incendiary summer, Murry Taylor kept an extensive journal of his day-to-day activities as an Alaskan smokejumper. It wasn't his first season fighting wildfires, and he's far from being a rookie—he's been on the job since 1965. Through this narrative of one busy season, Taylor reflects on the years of training, the harrowing adrenaline-fueled jumps, his brushes with death, the fires he conquered, and the ones that got away. It's a world full of bravado, one with epic battles of man versus nature, resulting in stories of death-defying defeats, serious injury, and occasionally tragedy. We witness Taylor's story; learn of the training, preparation, technology, and latest equipment used in fighting wildfires; and get to know his fellow smokejumpers in the ready room, on the tundra, and in the vast forests of one of the last great wilderness areas in the world. Often thrilling and informative and always entertaining, Taylor's memoir is one of the first autobiographical accounts of a legendary career.
480 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 19, 2009
Taylor began smokejumping in 1965 and, near age fifty, finally quit after the summer of 2000, the worst fire season in half a century. Smokejumpers are a bizarre breed who have to pass an extremely rigorous physical fitness test each year — one thing they have to do is run 3 miles in 22 minutes and Marines say smokejumpers training is harder than boot camp — before being allowed back into training. (Interestingly, one of them, Trooper, paid his own way to China in an attempt to convince the Chinese they should begin smokejumping the large fires they have in China, but the Chinese said it was too lethal.)
Jumping into a forest carries its own form of excitement. They carry about 90 pounds of equipment including a 150-foot let-down rope in case they land on the top of a tree — we won't even discuss what happens if they land in a pond or river — and Taylor tells of one jump in some redwood trees where the jumper snagged the top of a redwood, let himself down 150 feet and was still over fifty feet from the ground. His partner had to work the fire line by himself and then saw down a smaller tree against the larger one so he could climb down. Only problem was the concussion of the smaller tree against the larger almost knocked him out of the tree. The jumpers work in tandem with other groups, including spotters in the planes they jump from who help measure wind drift and try to find the best place for them to land — all the jumpers try to sleep on the plane since it may be the last chance they get for several days. And then there are the air tankers, former military C-97s, huge four-engine planes with radial engines, each having sixteen-foot props, fifty-six spark plugs, and fifty-five gallons of oil, that haul sixteen 250-gallon tanks, each of which can be opened individually. The fire retardant used in Alaska is a mixture of water, betonite clay, and ammonium phosphate fertilizer mixed with red dye. It has few adverse effects, but it's best to be clear of the area because three thousand gallons of retardant is "traveling at 130 miles per hour when released. If the load is dropped too low, trees eight to twelve inches in diameter can be ripped out of the ground like matchsticks." Taylor has a degree in forest management. As a high school student, he was a rebel, accumulating a record number of detentions. His tennis coach insisted he attend the prom, and his date with the daughter of the superintendent, a man who was considering whether to suspend or expel him from school, made a huge difference in his life. He managed to get his act together and the girl's family encouraged him to attend college, something he had never even considered a possibility.
The knowledge of forestry is certainly an important element in the training of a smokejumper. Knowing that birch tree resin is much less flammable than that of black spruce and white spruce, and that the birch leaf litter holds water well and quickly decomposes into soil can help determine where to create fire breaks. Night air and birch trees can stop a wall of fire in a matter of minutes. Taylor has seen animals run to small clumps of birch to escape fires and survive unscathed. Of course, sometimes the animals can create problems of their own, and Taylor recounts one episode where they had to watch out for marauding bears foraging through their cache of food and other essential supplies. It was amusing to hear of intrepid men more than willing to take on a forest fire, but completely intimidated by a large brown bear.
Jumping into a forest carries its own form of excitement. They carry about 90 pounds of equipment including a 150-foot let-down rope in case they land on the top of a tree — we won't even discuss what happens if they land in a pond or river — and Taylor tells of one jump in some redwood trees where the jumper snagged the top of a redwood, let himself down 150 feet and was still over fifty feet from the ground. His partner had to work the fire line by himself and then saw down a smaller tree against the larger one so he could climb down. Only problem was the concussion of the smaller tree against the larger almost knocked him out of the tree. The jumpers work in tandem with other groups, including spotters in the planes they jump from who help measure wind drift and try to find the best place for them to land — all the jumpers try to sleep on the plane since it may be the last chance they get for several days. And then there are the air tankers, former military C-97s, huge four-engine planes with radial engines, each having sixteen-foot props, fifty-six spark plugs, and fifty-five gallons of oil, that haul sixteen 250-gallon tanks, each of which can be opened individually. The fire retardant used in Alaska is a mixture of water, betonite clay, and ammonium phosphate fertilizer mixed with red dye. It has few adverse effects, but it's best to be clear of the area because three thousand gallons of retardant is "traveling at 130 miles per hour when released. If the load is dropped too low, trees eight to twelve inches in diameter can be ripped out of the ground like matchsticks." Taylor has a degree in forest management. As a high school student, he was a rebel, accumulating a record number of detentions. His tennis coach insisted he attend the prom, and his date with the daughter of the superintendent, a man who was considering whether to suspend or expel him from school, made a huge difference in his life. He managed to get his act together and the girl's family encouraged him to attend college, something he had never even considered a possibility.
The knowledge of forestry is certainly an important element in the training of a smokejumper. Knowing that birch tree resin is much less flammable than that of black spruce and white spruce, and that the birch leaf litter holds water well and quickly decomposes into soil can help determine where to create fire breaks. Night air and birch trees can stop a wall of fire in a matter of minutes. Taylor has seen animals run to small clumps of birch to escape fires and survive unscathed. Of course, sometimes the animals can create problems of their own, and Taylor recounts one episode where they had to watch out for marauding bears foraging through their cache of food and other essential supplies. It was amusing to hear of intrepid men more than willing to take on a forest fire, but completely intimidated by a large brown bear.
August 13, 2020
Mr. Taylor is definitely a skilled writer. His descriptions of nature, fires, parachuting and close calls are very vivid. He also captured the frat boy atmosphere that permeated the fire service back in the day.
July 26, 2022
The author graduated from Humboldt State College with a degree in forestry. As a professional forester for the U.S. Forest Service, he pioneered the first Wilderness Management plan in the nation that set limits on human occupancy. He left that job and began fighting wildfires. This book documents his training and experiences fighting the fires over a twenty seven year career. Growing up in a fire family, I have always enjoyed reading about other people's experiences. I would think that this book would be a really good one to read if one was interested in having a job fighting wildfires, or even becoming a firefighter in general. This is a really challenging job, and I really appreciated the sharing of these experiences and perspectives.
June 29, 2024
Quite a book! Interesting, informative, detailed, scary, heartbreaking, inspiring, and full of fascinating tidbits. It would be interesting to read a more recent account and learn what new technologies (like smart phones, satellites, etc) are being used, if any.
July 5, 2020
Good book if you want to learn about smokejumpimg by a smokejumpe
I first learned about Jumping Fire by Murry Taylor in 2008 from a now defunct forum for wildland firefighters. I am not a wildland firefighter but I needed to learn more about wildland firefighting. I was looking for good books to read. I recall enjoying Murry’s book, it was a good read and learned a lot. I recently wanted to reread Jumping Fire so I ordered the kindle version.
Murry Taylor takes us through his 1991 smokejumping season, where he was based in Fairbanks Alaska with deployments to the lower 48 late in the season. He was a smokejumper of many years, one of the older smokejumpers. He does spend some time writing about his earlier experiences and you may learn more than you want to about his love life.
This time around, I enjoyed reading about his experiences working wildfires. His words enabled me to be a participant observer while jumping fires and also while sitting around waiting for the call. I also enjoyed getting to know other smokejumpers as well as getting to know a little about Alaska.
I am always interested in learning more about wildland firefighting. If you want to learn more about the important role that smokejumpers play in fighting wildfires and something about life on the fireline, then this book is for you.
I first learned about Jumping Fire by Murry Taylor in 2008 from a now defunct forum for wildland firefighters. I am not a wildland firefighter but I needed to learn more about wildland firefighting. I was looking for good books to read. I recall enjoying Murry’s book, it was a good read and learned a lot. I recently wanted to reread Jumping Fire so I ordered the kindle version.
Murry Taylor takes us through his 1991 smokejumping season, where he was based in Fairbanks Alaska with deployments to the lower 48 late in the season. He was a smokejumper of many years, one of the older smokejumpers. He does spend some time writing about his earlier experiences and you may learn more than you want to about his love life.
This time around, I enjoyed reading about his experiences working wildfires. His words enabled me to be a participant observer while jumping fires and also while sitting around waiting for the call. I also enjoyed getting to know other smokejumpers as well as getting to know a little about Alaska.
I am always interested in learning more about wildland firefighting. If you want to learn more about the important role that smokejumpers play in fighting wildfires and something about life on the fireline, then this book is for you.
August 1, 2019
Jumping Fire is a passionate, thrilling, yet easy-to-read account of Alaska Smokejumper Murry Taylor. This edge-of-your-seat first-person account of the 1991 fire season will keep you reading. Vivid stories, lightly interetwined with the rollercoaster love life afforded by wildland firefighing, help propel this wonderful book through its chapters.
Taylor became Alaska's oldest Smokejumper in 1995, yet continued until his retirement at the end of the historic 2000 season. Even if you've never been on a fireline, eating smoke and chasing down flames, you'll enjoy Jumping Fire.
Taylor became Alaska's oldest Smokejumper in 1995, yet continued until his retirement at the end of the historic 2000 season. Even if you've never been on a fireline, eating smoke and chasing down flames, you'll enjoy Jumping Fire.
October 18, 2017
Fascinating memoir!!! Living in the west wildland firefighting is a big deal and of vital importance. Author Murray Taylor is able to put on paper what it is like to have such a terrifying job. My son worked wildland fire fighting for years so I am firmiliar. Murray Taylor took it to the next level with this memoir.
September 8, 2018
Who would have thought what a great read this would be.
I picked this up on a whim, and have had a difficult time putting it down. Mr. Taylor writes with great skill about a field of which I have very little little knowledge of. Where was this book 50 years ago when I could have given it a try. Should be on everyone's Buck List.
I picked this up on a whim, and have had a difficult time putting it down. Mr. Taylor writes with great skill about a field of which I have very little little knowledge of. Where was this book 50 years ago when I could have given it a try. Should be on everyone's Buck List.
January 2, 2018
Reads like fiction, but detailed and personal. I have read other smokejumpers experiences. This was the best.
February 18, 2019
So exciting!
September 11, 2020
Overall I liked the book, but I did start to get bored about two-thirds of the way through because it seemed like the same story, but in different locations.
April 2, 2025
Never finished. Started well; very repetitive.
October 22, 2025
4.5 stars
July 28, 2012
I read this book and was truely amazed!
We read about stories of wild fires and we hear about them on the news. But, we really have no concept of what it takes and what these brave men and women do.
Here is a riveting and humerous, tragic and exilerating (sic) true and 1st hand account of their lives, work, tragedy and love of the fight.
Mr. Taylor became the oldest and one of the best fire jumpers in history. Litterally being forced to a desk job after all of the cartilage had been destroyed in his knees, after 20 + years of "Smoke" jumping.
Jumping into a forest of fire would not be a career choice for 99% of the general population. But, for some there is a "call". Murray Taylor was one of those that found his calling, thrived in it, taught the new recruits, loved,cried and faught the good fight.
Not only is he one of the best Smoke Jumpers. But, he is a fantastic writer. He brings you right into the fire and you can "feel" the heat from the edge of the pages. You can imagine the terror and you can witness the tragedy.
You have to read this. Any person that can jump into a forest that is blazing and a world crashing around you, with nothing more then a back pack of MRE's, water, a rope and a Pulaski (axe). A worn out Lonesome Dove novel and a flask of Jack Daniels. Is a man I would love to meet, shake hands with and buy him a shot.
Fantastic Read !
Hey, Hollywood ! If you can ever get passed the comic books and sequals. You might just learn something here.
We read about stories of wild fires and we hear about them on the news. But, we really have no concept of what it takes and what these brave men and women do.
Here is a riveting and humerous, tragic and exilerating (sic) true and 1st hand account of their lives, work, tragedy and love of the fight.
Mr. Taylor became the oldest and one of the best fire jumpers in history. Litterally being forced to a desk job after all of the cartilage had been destroyed in his knees, after 20 + years of "Smoke" jumping.
Jumping into a forest of fire would not be a career choice for 99% of the general population. But, for some there is a "call". Murray Taylor was one of those that found his calling, thrived in it, taught the new recruits, loved,cried and faught the good fight.
Not only is he one of the best Smoke Jumpers. But, he is a fantastic writer. He brings you right into the fire and you can "feel" the heat from the edge of the pages. You can imagine the terror and you can witness the tragedy.
You have to read this. Any person that can jump into a forest that is blazing and a world crashing around you, with nothing more then a back pack of MRE's, water, a rope and a Pulaski (axe). A worn out Lonesome Dove novel and a flask of Jack Daniels. Is a man I would love to meet, shake hands with and buy him a shot.
Fantastic Read !
Hey, Hollywood ! If you can ever get passed the comic books and sequals. You might just learn something here.
December 20, 2014
When Mare and I visited the smokejumper base in Winthrop, WA, we were able to meet and talk with a couple smokejumpers, see their equipment, tour their facility, and see one of their airplanes. One of the smokejumpers that we talked to recommended Murry A. Taylor's book, Jumping Fire, A Smokejumper's Memoir of Fighting Wildfire, as a way of finding out what it is really like to be a smokejumper.
Well, if smokejumping is like this book, I would say that it rambles and is fairly pointless. As I read Jumping Fire, I kept expecting that a plot would develop, that there would be some kind of central theme, and that it would come to some kind of conclusion in the end. My expectations were unfounded.
Jumping Fire tells about fires that Murray A. Taylor fought. One after another. Some big, some small. Some harrowing, some boring. But in the end, they were all just fires. I got really tired of reading about fires.
While Jumping Fire captures an aspect of a smokejumper's life, I think there must be something more to it. Yes they fight fires, but why? What motivates them? Do they get any satisfaction out of the job that they do, protecting the lives and property of others? Or is it just to pay the bills?
I am sure there are answers to these questions, but Jumping Fire didn't provide them.
Well, if smokejumping is like this book, I would say that it rambles and is fairly pointless. As I read Jumping Fire, I kept expecting that a plot would develop, that there would be some kind of central theme, and that it would come to some kind of conclusion in the end. My expectations were unfounded.
Jumping Fire tells about fires that Murray A. Taylor fought. One after another. Some big, some small. Some harrowing, some boring. But in the end, they were all just fires. I got really tired of reading about fires.
While Jumping Fire captures an aspect of a smokejumper's life, I think there must be something more to it. Yes they fight fires, but why? What motivates them? Do they get any satisfaction out of the job that they do, protecting the lives and property of others? Or is it just to pay the bills?
I am sure there are answers to these questions, but Jumping Fire didn't provide them.
January 17, 2016
The last few years of an older (in smokejumping terms) smoke jumper and his crew/teammates up in Alaska. I guess to gauge when I started this book... it was just after some Hot Shots died in a forest fire, I guess the one in Arizona, perhaps.. Yarnell. That occurred July 10, 2013... so I guess it's taken me some time to get through this one. There's something about these types of jobs that... interests me. I used to jump out of cargo planes during my military time, so my A.D.D. mind wandered into smoke jumping, and I found this book. It's interesting, a subject I like, and at times I feel that they (Murry and teammates) manage to capture and convey the feeling of ...living. The writing style isn't truly captivating, but very mellow, but wasn't bad. It seems that sometimes Murray put a little too much detail into his love life in the book (I may have cringed a couple of times), but I can appreciate the general perspective of a lonely lifestyle, where team comraderie is the core of your social experience. (Years deployed contracting) Now as my 40th bday is coming up, I realize that I can't just half start yet another job.... but it has been tempting. An active lifestyle is what holds everything together, and to combine it with work.... winning. Time to get outside and put a couple of miles on the road..
December 19, 2011
The oldest active smokejumper in history tells all, or at least what he went through during one hard season of parachuting into the Alaska wilderness to fight fires. Taylor gives a blow-by-blow account of the smokejumper’s life, from early training to equipment checks to freefall to digging soil lines at the foot of raging fires to the boredom and loneliness. Along the way he manages to tell of his sexual exploits with two pretty girls and pack in several anecdotes of jumping, some funny, some tragic, almost all involving wounds.
My problem with the book is that Taylor’s not such a great writer. I got a fair sense of what it might be like to face a forest fire, sawing logs and digging line; and though the jumper’s jargon threw me, his accounts of parachuting are good (there is a glossary). Still, Taylor lacks a good sense of dramatic structure (except in his depiction of the final, almost fatal conflagration), he doesn’t try to explain what motivates these men to face hell daily, and the book’s way overlong at 440 pages.
My problem with the book is that Taylor’s not such a great writer. I got a fair sense of what it might be like to face a forest fire, sawing logs and digging line; and though the jumper’s jargon threw me, his accounts of parachuting are good (there is a glossary). Still, Taylor lacks a good sense of dramatic structure (except in his depiction of the final, almost fatal conflagration), he doesn’t try to explain what motivates these men to face hell daily, and the book’s way overlong at 440 pages.
February 9, 2011
It was okay.
The book definetly conveys the dangers of smoke jumping and the unique people who are able to do this.
I would have preferred to have learned more about how smoke jumping developed and how exactly smoke jumping is used to control forest fires. Taylor never really explains how smoke jumping works, what is the strategy.
The first 200 pages of the book are really good. After that, the book becomes a little repetative and would have been helped by editing.
Also, there is too much about the author's personal life. Some of his descriptions of dating seemed to just have been an excuse for obligatory sex scenes.
The book definetly conveys the dangers of smoke jumping and the unique people who are able to do this.
I would have preferred to have learned more about how smoke jumping developed and how exactly smoke jumping is used to control forest fires. Taylor never really explains how smoke jumping works, what is the strategy.
The first 200 pages of the book are really good. After that, the book becomes a little repetative and would have been helped by editing.
Also, there is too much about the author's personal life. Some of his descriptions of dating seemed to just have been an excuse for obligatory sex scenes.
September 6, 2012
Damn, this is a great book. It starts of detailing how they parachute in (so much so, I was wondering if he would actually fight fires!) and then gets into the nitty gritty. Its a great read, set out in a diary format, so you get a real sense of time.
Taylor tells pretty much everything about jumping, the excitement, the injuries, training, hazards (including bears and retardant drops) and the impact it has on his personal relationships and love life. Its a tough job, and it really made me want to hear more about Taylor and his life as a jumper. Hopefully he has found a steady relationship and has a good life.
Taylor tells pretty much everything about jumping, the excitement, the injuries, training, hazards (including bears and retardant drops) and the impact it has on his personal relationships and love life. Its a tough job, and it really made me want to hear more about Taylor and his life as a jumper. Hopefully he has found a steady relationship and has a good life.
February 15, 2009
it was pretty interesting to see what these firefighters do through the summers. lots of crazy stories about jumping into forest fires, putting out the fires 24 hours a day, and other near-death experiences.
i got tired of the author's perspective...he knows he's too old to be doing this (and has never really had a lasting relationship with anyone), yet he continues to be on call to fight fires each year. maybe it's just me, but he really should get over it.
i got tired of the author's perspective...he knows he's too old to be doing this (and has never really had a lasting relationship with anyone), yet he continues to be on call to fight fires each year. maybe it's just me, but he really should get over it.
July 21, 2010
Great action book on the life of a smoke jumper. Filled with reget of the relationships lost to pursue the adrenalin and outdoor life of smoke jumping. The author spent almost 30 years in this role - longer than anyone else. This meant he had to run 3 miles under 22 minutes to pass physical requirements every spring.
June 25, 2014
Having lived in Alaska for a few years and seeing men like these work, you can only have the upmost respect for them.
Having been a paratrooper in military, I was talking a smoke jumper who made the comment that he could not do what I did, jump out of an airplane into a firefight. I responded with I'll take bullets over a wildfire any day of the week.
Having been a paratrooper in military, I was talking a smoke jumper who made the comment that he could not do what I did, jump out of an airplane into a firefight. I responded with I'll take bullets over a wildfire any day of the week.
December 6, 2007
Very good read about smokejumping forest fires in Alaska and Idaho in 1991. Narrative of the scenic areas and wildlife were exceptional and descriptions of firefighting tactics and procedures were easy to follow. That was the best part of this book.
April 27, 2008
Interesting mostly to get a sense of what it is like to be a forest fire fighter. Each year the news is filled with headlines of hundreds of these folks going to this or that fire. This book puts a bit of the human side of the folks who take great risks to fight these fires.
March 21, 2012
He really captured the camaraderie between those who dedicate their life to fighting fire, the long and tiresome days and nights spent digging line and how quickly things can go wrong. The personal life bits were a bit repetitive and woe is me like but overall it was an interesting read.
January 17, 2015
An interesting look at the life of a smoke jumper. The author basically detailed a season of firefighting. It was interesting, but at times, a little repetitive. Worth reading if its a topic you're interested in.
July 16, 2010
The bits about smokejumping were simply breathtaking.
The bits were he moans about his personal life got a bit tiresome
after a while.
The bits were he moans about his personal life got a bit tiresome
after a while.
November 25, 2007
Tales of a fire bum. This book is the reason I got into this crazy business.
October 13, 2008
Good story telling. Accurate from a firefighter's perspective. Another book to glamorize smokejumpers.Yeah! I did really like it, though. It was not just a bog yeah me, I am so cool book.
January 10, 2012
Didn't finish.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews