Also called: Parachuting Wildland Firefighter
Parachutes out of airplanes into remote wilderness to put out wildfires before they grow.
When lightning starts a fire deep in roadless mountains, you suit up, board a plane, and jump into a clearing near the flames. You fight the fire with hand tools and chainsaws, then hike out carrying 100+ pounds of gear. There are only about 400 smokejumpers in the US.
Federal pay plus overtime and hazard pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Several seasons of wildland fire experience, then a brutal multi-week smokejumper training program.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Fire Science, Forestry.
Growing slowly. Very small, highly competitive program.
Low risk for 10 years. Drones scout fires and drop supplies, but jumping in to cut line on remote fires stays human work.
Classes: PE or weight training, Earth science.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.