National Park Service LogoU.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park ServiceNational Park Service
National Park Service:  U.S. Department of the InteriorNational Park Service Arrowhead
Yellowstone National ParkLower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone plunges more than 300 feet.
view map
text size:largestlargernormal
printer friendly
Yellowstone National Park
West Yellowstone Interagency Fire Center
Yellowstone National Park maintains one Park Service smokejumper at the West Yellowstone Interagency Fire Center. Smokejumpers parachute to fires in remote areas and take the necessary action to manage the fires. Since Yellowstone is almost 2.2 million acres of de facto wilderness, smokejumpers have a key role in accessing fires that are very far from roads. In addition to the Park Service smokejumper, the U.S. Forest Service employs about 24 smokejumpers and one smokejumper aircraft. The current "jumpship" is a Dornier 228 from Bighorn Aviation which carries eight jumpers and cargo.
 
Jumper 13
"Jumper 13" the Dornier 228 "jumpship."
 
Jumper Gear
Cargo being dropped to the jumpers.
 
The West Yellowstone Interagency Fire Center is also home to one contract retardant airplane. Currently, this is Tanker 25, a P3 Orion from the Aerounion company. This plane supplies retardant to fires throughout the nation at a moments notice. The retardant is a mix of dry compound, similar to fertilizer, and water. Retardant is mixed and loaded at the West Yellowstone tanker base under the direction of the mixmaster.
 
Tanker 25
Tanker 25, a P3 Orion.
 
Slurry Drop
A tanker dropping retardant on a fire.
Upper Geyser Basin Hydrothermal Features on a Winter Day.  

Did You Know?
Yellowstone contains approximately one-half of the world’s hydrothermal features. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features, including over 300 geysers, in the park.

Last Updated: June 11, 2007 at 16:49 EST