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U.S. Wildland Fire Service Alaska Smokejumper training jumps start March 23

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Pilots should avoid flying over areas during scheduled jumps and paracargo drops in Interior Alaska

A person holds the toggles while descending to the ground underneath a red, white and blue parachute.
An Alaska smokejumper during a training jump in this file photo. Find more photos of smokejumpers on the BLM AFS Flickr site.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) will conduct smokejumper training operations in the Fairbanks and North Pole areas beginning March 23 in preparation for the 2026 Alaska fire season. Training activities will occur in designated areas from March through May, with increased activity during April and May. Operations will generally take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., weather permitting. 

Training Locations 
Smokejumper training jumps will occur in the following areas: 

  • Birch Hill area on Fort Wainwright 
  • Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project 
  • 2.8 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road 
  • Nordale Road north of the Chena River Bridge 

Schedule

  • March 23–April 24: Refresher training jumps for returning smokejumpers will occur once or twice daily on select weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
  • May 4–May 15: Training jumps may occur up to twice daily, excluding weekends, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
  • May 11–May 15 (Salcha area): Paracargo training flights may occur up to five times daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

Training frequency and timing are subject to change based on weather and operational requirements. 

Aviation Advisory 

Pilots are advised to avoid flying overactive training areas during scheduled jumps and paracargo operations. Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) will be issued for activities occurring outside Fort Wainwright’s Ladd Airfield controlled airspace. 

Smokejumpers will continue to use these training locations for proficiency operations through mid-September. For additional information, visit the Alaska Smokejumpers website. 

Download a PDF version of this announcement.

-USWFS- 

U.S. Wildland Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005, 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, AK 99703 e jump spots near Fairbanks and North Pole.

Need public domain imagery to complement news coverage of the USWFS in Alaska? Visit our Flickr channel! 
Learn more at www.blm.gov/AlaskaFireService, and on Facebook and X.

Watch this video of annual refresher training in 2021.

Watch the video of a paracargo (PC) drop in the Salcha area in 2025. Video by Emily Carver, BLM AFS. Find more PC video on Flickr.

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Categories: BLM Alaska Fire Service, Training