My wife's Uncle Al was with the Forest Service for years, including the Smokey Bear fire. He barely missed working on the Man Gulch fire, and that didn't displease him a bit. The stories he'd tell.

And his wife told. Like being buzzed by slurry bombers saluting her husband after he retired. Or sitting out back when a chopper sits down and unloads your husband -- and ruins your drying wash. Or having your two smoke jumper sons "drop in" for dinner with their friends.

And, of course, sitting and waiting....

If you want to get a small, tiny grasp on the subject, visit a smoke jumper site, like the one at Missoula or Redding. To get a REAL idea of the work, go along on an "all night dig and pack out" (the final exam of the smoke jumper applicants). And yes, there are women smoke jumpers.

The Hot Shot crews are just a tough.

These folks make Navy SEALS and Army Green Berets look like wimps.