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Obituary
Rick, 72, died April 1, 2024, in Redding, California. He was born June 23, 1951, and moved to Redding when he was three years old. Rick attended Manzanita Elementary School, Sequoia Jr. H.S. and graduated from Shasta H.S. in 1969. He wrestled for Shasta H.S. and qualified for the state championships and was also a pole vaulter on the track team. Rick earned a bachelor’s degree and attended Shasta College, College of the Siskiyous, Southern Oregon Univ. and Utah State University. Rick started his career in wildfire doing three seasons at Coffee Creek RS on the Shasta/Trinity N.F. followed by the 1972-73 seasons on the Redding Interregional Hotshot Crew under Charlie Caldwell (RDD-65). In 1974 Rick transferred to the newly formed, Stanislaus Hotshots as a squadboss. Rick worked on the Stanislaus shots 1974-75 under the direction of Charlie Gripp and Ron Linebarger, also over from the Redding crew. Rick was invaluable in teaching forestry and firefighting skills, not to mention teaching (by example), the unwritten rules that makes a firecrew into a hotshot crew. He was on an Alaska helitack crew in 1976 before he rookied with the Alaska Smokejumpers in 1977. Rick jumped there for 18 seasons (77-81,83,88-99). After retirement from BLM, he worked as a contract faller on fire in the lower 48. Thanks to Dan Tinnel (Assoc.) and Dick Linebarger (RDD-74) for the above information. (Ed.)
Identifier
Russell_Rick_Fairbanks_1977
Publication Date
April 2024
Keywords
Smokejumping; Smokejumpers -- United States; National Smokejumper Association; Wildfire fighters; Obituaries
Disciplines
Forest Management
Recommended Citation
National Smokejumper Association, "Smokejumper Obituary: Russell, Rick (Fairbanks 1977)" (2024). Smokejumper Obituaries. 1747.
https://dc.ewu.edu/smokejumper_bios/1747
