Starting March 27, Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service (BLM AFS) Smokejumpers will conduct training jumps in the skies above the Fairbanks and North Pole areas in preparation for the upcoming fire season. The required refresher and training jumps will occur throughout April and May, primarily between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weather permitting, the refresher jumps for returning smokejumpers will occur once or twice per day between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on certain weekdays between March 27-April 28.
The tempo will increase in May with the addition of rookie smokejumpers and parachuted cargo drops, known as paracargo. The rookie training jumps start on May 5 and, excluding weekends, will occur up to two times a day between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. through May 19.