WILDFIRE: Memories of a Wildland Firefighter

Wildfire is an exhilarating tale of the lengths one man goes in pursuit of a dream. Told he’ll never make the cut to become an elite California Smokejumper, Ralph Ryan employs laser-like focus, a ‘never give up’ attitude, and the calming mental training of Eastern mysticism to earn the right to leap out of planes and fight forest fires.

There’s beauty and danger in these pages, filled with bird’s eye views of the world from beneath a parachute, and raging blazes just steps away. When an accident results in a broken back, Ryan offers all of us a moving lesson in belief in oneself and overcoming our own bleakest days. This is a funny, fast-paced insider’s look at one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and the passion that accompanies smokejumpers every time they bail above the flames.

Reviews

“Ralph Ryan’s Wildfire is a first-hand and exciting account of one of America’s last great true-life adventures—Smokejumping. Live it and feel it from inside as the smokejumpers themselves do. Fly in over a fire, survey the scene below, jump from the plane, soar above the timber, and experience the passion, the pride, and the sheer guts of parachuting to wildfires amidst the grandeur of the mountainous West and Alaska.”
—Murry A. Taylor, author of Jumping Fire: A Smokejumper’s Memoir of Fighting Wildfire, and The Rhythm of Leaves.

“A vivid and compelling account of one man’s career as a wildland firefighter and smokejumper in the 70’s and 80’s. Wildfire is closely recorded, finely observed and full of interesting characters and unforgettable stories. Ralph Ryan doesn’t just take you into the epic blazes, fiery winds and dangerous tree landings, but also into the lives of the heroic firefighters who risked everything to protect our national forests.”
—Kevin Grange, author of Beneath Blossom Rain