The First Female Smokejumper: Deanne Shulman

Now retired, Deanne Shulman surpassed barriers by becoming the first female smokejumper in 1981. After overcoming the physical limitations of being just two pounds underweight, she met the criteria and passed the physical exams. In her first year she made over five jumps and spent three weeks working wildfires in Alaska. When explaining nerves before jumping, she said she came to terms with the feeling because jumping out of a plane was simply not a normal thing for a person to do. Over the course of her time as a smokejumper, Shulman made over 77 jumps in seven states.

Having had the experience in operational roles like hotshot and smokejumper, Shulman made the decision to transition to management positions fairly soon after her operational roles. She would spend the next 1.5 decades fostering partnerships internationally as well as providing her expertise to further the advancements of wildfire management. In the 1990s she traveled to Russia for the United States-Russia Expert Exchange and was also the Assistant District Fire Management Officer for the Greenhorn Ranger District of the Sequoia National Forest at Kernville, California.

Her latest public appearance was at a 2019 moderated panel discussion "Women in Fire" held at the 6th International Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, where she shared her stories and insights alongside other women working in wildland fire management.