Rookie Smoke Jumpers

For two decades, western wildfires have grown hotter, burned longer—and become even more unpredictable. As the climate warms, could big blazes turn into a common hiking hazard?

This videos shows the rigors endured by smoke jumpers, the elite strike force trained to get to a blaze quickly, before it gets out of control. Training in Missoula, Montana includes a monthlong boot camp, where smoke jumpers practice drills and simulations at double time. Though physically demanding and potentially lethal, veteran jumpers get so hooked to the job that they have increased the maximum age, which used to be 40.