Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
KEVAN RICHARDS: Well, it was a great summer job when I was going to school. My grandmother worked for the forest service.
CHUCK: Your grandmother was a smokejumper?
KEVAN: No, (laughs) she worked for the forest service, and I thought it was so romantic and glamorous jumping out of a plane.
CHUCK (reporting): Meet Kevan Richards, a real life action figure of sorts, jumping out of airplanes at 1,500 feet and landing in some of this countrys most vast and rugged terrain. But its not the scenery that makes this father of two jump out of airplanes; its the smoke. Where theres smoke, theres fire.
KEVAN: There is that sense of danger. You want to keep your head up, especially when you think of another firefighter tragedy. I could have been in that situation, and especially personally for me as a smokejumper, I think back to Storm King Mountain in 1994. I was jumping, and two McCall jumpers lost their lives. It was just a matter of the rotation list. I could have easily been in their shoes. There was a one in 35 chance that could have been me in that situation.
CHUCK (reporting): Smoke jumping is a highly competitive field. Before Kevan could fight fire from the air, he had to pay his dues on the ground. First he worked on a district fire fighting crew. Then eight years later, and after three attempts, Kevan finally made the elite smoke jumping team based in McCall, Idaho.
CHUCK: Now how do you get out once you jump in and finish your job?
KEVAN: Well, the worst case scenario is hiking out with 110 pounds on your back. I had a really nasty pack off about a year ago in the wilderness.
CHUCK: I saw a picture of a guy who had a chainsaw hanging out of his rucksack. Thats amazing. How far do you have to pack that stuff?
KEVAN: It varies. It can be a mile, two miles, or five or six miles. I know guys who sometimes had to break it into two days because it has been so long.
CHUCK: How do you handle the risk of being a jumper?
KEVAN: Theres only one way that I handle it, and its my faith.
CHUCK (reporting): This is where Kevans life really gets interesting. As a teen he had drifted away from church and God. Later, he failed to get into medical school. It took this crisis to bring him back to the Lord.
KEVAN: Unfortunately, I got away from the Lord, but His voice was always there saying, 'What if Jesus comes back tomorrow?' I thought that was never going to happen. I kept doing my own thing, and then my world kind of collapsed when I didnt get into medical school because thats who I thought I was going to be.
CHUCK (reporting): But God had exciting plans for Kevan. Thats why today he lives six months of the year in McCall, Idaho, combining two of the most dangerous activities in the world--jumping out of airplanes and putting out forest fires. The other half of the year, he and his wife, Lisa, minister in an inner-city church in Tampa, Florida.
KEVAN: She trusts God. She knows He has it all under control.
LISA: This is just money. It enables us to live as missionaries the other half of the year.
CHUCK: Youre 40 years old now. Is this as fun as it was when you were 20?
KEVAN: Well, its still always an adrenaline rush. My heart is still pumping when Im in the plane praying for the pilot, spotter, and every jumper on there.
CHUCK: Have you ever been hurt jumping? Youve been doing this 20 years, not jumping but fighting fires, have you ever been injured?
KEVAN: Jumping on my first season I sprained my ankle. Thats the only injury thats kept me off the jump list for 10 days.
CHUCK: How many jumps have you done over that time? Do you keep a log?
KEVAN: Yeah, you keep track. Im at 204 jumps, hopefully 205 tomorrow, and you can videotape that.
CHUCK (reporting): Kevan readily gives credit where credit is due. His trust doesnt lie in the parachute to get him to the ground safely. He gets his confidence from Jesus Christ.
CHUCK: You said you could be a smokejumper until youre 57.
KEVAN: Legally, you can work till youre 57 jumping out of planes.
CHUCK: Do you think you want to be jumping out of planes when youre 57?
KEVAN: No. By Gods grace, if my body held up and that was the only way to get the income, sure. I think about that Scripture, death is swallowed up in victory. I dont want to die. I want to be with my wife and have good years with her, build up our theatre school, and see my little girls, but I dont know how other guys can do it because there is a high risk. I can feel the danger, but I know where Im going.
