The National Smokejumper Association established the Al Dunton Smokejumper Leadership Award to recognize smokejumpers who exhibit leadership skills over and above their peers. This award was named in honor of Al Dunton, who demonstrated excellence in leadership in the principles of Wildland Fire Leadership.
Selection Panel
Candidates are nominated by their peers at their base. At the Fall NSA Board of Directors meeting, the NSA will appoint a board member to lead the selection panel consisting of:
- One NSA board member
- One USFS Base Manager
- One BLM Base Manager
The selection panel will review the candidate applications and choose a winner by January 15 each year.
Award
Smokejumper Magazine will feature the winners in the Spring edition and promote them on the NSA website and Facebook social media.
A certificate and a traveling plaque engraved with the winner’s name, base,and rookie year will be displayed at the jump bases of the award winners.
View 2024 award winners (PDF)
About Alan J. Dunton (Fairbanks 1967)
Al Dunton died July 18, 2010, at his home in Reno, Nevada. He began his fire career in his hometown of Molalla, Oregon, in 1962, and spent his rookie year in Fairbanks in 1967. Al was the Alaska smokejumper base manager from 1972 to 1984 when he was appointed as state fire management officer in Nevada for the Bureau of Land Management.
He moved to Boise in 1993 and retired from his career as national fire director for BLM at the Interagency Fire Center.
Al was instrumental in shaping the Alaska Smokejumpers and many of his visions and impacts can be seen in the jumper program to this day. His method of “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,” remains a phrase that only he seemed to be able to perfect.
Al passed on his penchant for wildland fire to his children. His daughter Amber worked at the Western Great Basin (fire) Coordination Center and his daughter Melanie Dunton (MYC-99) was a McCall smokejumper. His son-in-law, Dave Vining (NIFC-97), was a BLM smokejumper, and continues today as a fire management officer in Idaho. Even Al’s wife Mary worked in BLM fire in Alaska for five years prior to becoming a teacher.
The family has established the Al Dunton Memorial Leadership Award through the NSA.
