Interviewer
Bruce Van Voorhis
Files
Description
Doug Houston, the training foreman at Redmond Air Center, describes the decision by the regional office to begin closing smaller smokejumper bases and centralize resources. He notes that the uncertainty about whether a base will be open the following year caused a significant amount of attrition among experienced jumpers who left for other jobs. Houston discusses how his wife feels about his decision to smokejump, especially the amount of time he spends away from home during the summer. He talks at length about the possibility of women becoming smokejumpers and his concerns that the standards will be changed to accommodate women. He argues that the training is hard and many women aren’t physically capable of handling the job. her and using the larger bases outlines various training techniques throughout the interview. Houston offers his opinion on the importance of a jumper’s attitude on how well they do their job. He concludes by telling a “war story” about a difficult jump in a hardwood forest.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Smokejumpers, United States; Women smokejumpers; Gender disparity, smokejumpers; Smokejumpers, physical requirements; Smokejumper history; Smokejumping; Forest fires; Smokejumper standards; Redmond, Oregon; Winthrop, Washington; Centralization, Smokejumper bases; Northern Cascades Smokejumper Base; Training methods
Original Date
7-28-1981
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Oregon; Washington
Language
eng
Original Collection
Nick Sundt Smokejumpers Oral History Project, OH 172, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 172-016, 017
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
2 sound cassette (02:00:00 min.) analog + 1 transcript (28pp.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
01:24:34 minutes
Local Filename
OH_172_016_017.mp3; OH_172_016_017.pdf
Citation
Houston, Doug, "Doug Houston Interview, July 28, 1981" (1981). Nick Sundt Smokejumpers Oral History Project. 10.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/nicksundtsmokejumpers_oralhistory/10