vendredi 26 mars 2010

The Smoke Jumper/Le coeur des flammes





Je suis à lire The Smoke Jumper de Nicholas Evans incroyable courage et détermination qui animent ces hommes et femmes (Un smokejumper est un pompier qui est parachuté dans un endroit inaccessibles par route pour combattre les incendies de forêts sinon incontrôlables. (voir Missoula, Montana smokejumper) Smokejumpers wear a padded jump jacket and pants, made of Kevlar, the same material used for bullet-proof vests. A motorcycle style helmet is worn, featuring a heavy, wire-mesh face mask. (At left is a picture taken by Steve Baker right after I landed on a practice jump.) A small gear bag is carried by each smokejumper, in which are carried water, gloves, hardhat, fire shelter, and other personal belongings needed for a shift on the fireline. Heavier equipment is dropped separately. A "let-down" rope is carried in the right leg pocket in case it is necessary to rappel down out of a tall tree. They normally use hand tools such as pulaskis (a combination axe and mattock), shovels, chainsaws and portable pumps to attack the fire.
P.S. n'y pense même pas Chris!