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Obituary

Mac, 95, died April 7, 2024, in Kalispell, Montana. He was born in Oct. 1938 Chicago, Illinois. Mac graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in forestry followed by a career in fire suppression with the USFS. A career which began as a seasonal fire fighter on a hotshot crew and culminated as the Director of Aviation and Fire Management in the Pacific Northwest Region and included positions as both a smokejumper and smokejumper foreman in Missoula, MT as well as the Redding, CA Smokejumper Base Manager. During Mac's career with the Forest Service, he was involved in many important fire suppression developments which included the use of aerial attack and the Incident Command System in the state of California which integrated the response, command, and communication of federal, state, and local fire suppression agencies. After retiring from the Forest Service, Mac continued a career in fire suppression with the United Nations Food Agricultural Organization and then the Division of Emergency Management for the state of Arizona. Mac served in the Korean War in the U.S. Army's 2nd Division where he received the Bronze Star and ascended to the rank of Sargent. He jumped at Missoula 1952-53, 1955-58, and at Redding 1962

Identifier

McDonald_Robert-James-“Mac”_Missoula_1952

Publication Date

July 2024

Keywords

Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries

Disciplines

Forest Management

Smokejumper Obituary: McDonald, Robert James “Mac” (Missoula 1952)

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National Smokejumper Association

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