The Job

Our primary mission is heli-rappelling for initial attack. A typical assignment involves 2-8 rappellers being inserted into a remote wildfire, coordinating a full suppression effort, and packing out over steep mountainous terrain with 80-120 pounds of gear. Pre-season training starts mid-April, and our rappel platform is staffed for a minimum of 120 days a year, a typical season running from early June to October. 


Initial attack is our bread and butter, but we also engage in a wide variety of aviation related missions such as helispot construction, troop transport, cargo delivery, aerial ignition, reconnaissance flights, and emergency medical operations. In addition to our type 2 rappel helicopter, we manage a type 1 helicopter for IA and large fire support. 


All rappel crews are national resources, meaning we can be positioned anywhere in the United States throughout the fire season. Location and work load vary widely based on conditions and needs nationally. No two seasons are alike; some may be spent close to home, while others may involve extensive travel throughout the US. Interested applicants should expect to start rookie training mid-April, and to be nationally available from early June through October. 


The Base

We are based in Libby, Montana. With the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness to the West, The Yaak to the North, the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park to the East, we are surrounded by some of the best hunting, fishing, and hiking in the state.  


Libby is a small city of roughly 3000 residents. The crew does not offer government housing, but there are limited rentals available in town and ample space nearby for camping. There is a grocery store and outdoors store in town, and for anything not able to be found locally, larger cities like Kalispell and Sandpoint are only an hour and a half away. 


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