A smokejumper earns around $16.00 per hour while a smokejumper foreman earns about $24.00 per hour. Smokejumpers are paid nothing extra for making parachute jumps; however, they do receive hazard pay equivalent to 25 percent of their base pay when working on an uncontrolled wildfire.

How much money do smoke jumpers make?

Smokejumpers, also spelled smoke jumpers, employed in California make an average annual salary of $62,285, which equals about $30/hour. Entry-level smokejumpers can expect to make approximately $45,495/year, while senior-level smoker jumpers earn approximately $76,290/year.

Is it hard to become a smoke jumper?

Firefighters train hard, but smokejumpers train harder. Keep in mind that an entry-level smokejumper job is not an entry-level firefighting job, and the U.S. Forest Service physical fitness requirements are intense. In addition to the basic physical requirements, ongoing training is challenging.

How many Smokejumpers have died?

This information is a tribute to the more than 5,000 men and women who have served our nation as smokejumpers since the start of the program in 1939. These are the accounts of the lives and deaths of the more than 30 smokejumpers who have been killed in the line of duty.

What are the most underpaid jobs?

Here are 8 of the most underpaid jobs in our society, all of which deserve to be paid much, much better.

• Public school teacher.
• Registered nurse.
• Farm worker.
• Child care professional.
• Paramedic.
• Home health aide.
• Social worker.
• Food service worker.

  What skills does a smoke jumper need?

  All smokejumper applicants must have demonstrated skills for the effective application of fire suppression tactics using diverse resources including hand tools, chainsaws for felling and bucking trees up to twenty-four inches in diameter (24” DBH), and experience operating portable pumps using hoselay methods needed …

  How much does a smokejumper make a year?

  How much is a smokejumper salary? According to the Houston Chronicle, smokejumpers start out at around $30,000. They can earn as much as $45,000 a year, depending on location and seniority. They can also earn another 25% “hazard pay,” though that money isn’t guaranteed.

  How much money can you make as a firefighter?

  Even on the typical firefighter salary of $45,970 a year, it’s possible to save $4.4 million. Some firefighters use “pension spiking” to boost their retirement income. They log high overtime hours in the years before retirement, inflating retirement salary to abnormally high levels.

  How old do you have to be to be a smokejumper?

  Smokejumpers must be U.S. citizens with extensive wilderness firefighting experience. Most smokejumpers are between 20 and 40 years old, but some are in their 50’s. Mental alertness and stability are also essential given the hazards of the job.

  How long do smoke jumpers work for the Forest Service?

  Cottrell is a permanent, year-round Forest Service employee. But about half the jumpers are only guaranteed six months of work. That means many supplement their firefighting with other work in the off-season. Cottrell did the same in his rookie years.