Syria Fires Grenades Into Lebanon; Training With The Smoke Jumpers; Job Growth Slows in June
TUCHMAN: Political debates in American talk shows can get heated, but nothing like in Jordan. OK, that's scary stuff. A Jordanian member of parliament threw a shoe and he then pulled out his pistol when a discussion with a former MP got heated and it was all on live television. It seems he was accused of buying his way into Jordan's parliament. The host stepped in to break up the fight. A police report has been filed. Aside from some bruised egos, there were no injuries. Higher humidity and lower winds helping firefighters battle a fast- moving wildfire in Northern California. The blaze has scorched more than 1200 acres and destroyed five homes near the town of Redding. Crews hope to have the fire contained later today. Firefighters in Washington state hope to have a fire line built around this blaze today. The fire broke out in steep terrain east of Seattle. So far there are no reports of injuries or damages. Colorado's monstrous Waldo Canyon fire, the good news, it's now 95 percent contained. The fire, though, was the most destructive in state history and required help from the most specialized fire crews in the United States. This week, I got a firsthand look at how the smoke jumpers train and as I found out, it's not for the faint of heart.</s>GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the entire USA, there are only 430 of them. They are among the firefighting elite. They are the "Smokejumpers." And many of them are in Colorado right now marching onto aircraft, which is their transportation to the action. Their job? To fly into the fires just as new ones are starting up and stop them from getting bigger. This is video the smokejumpers just brought back. It's hard to spot the flames from up here 1,500 feet, but the smokejumpers are trained to see them and it's all very clear when they're on the ground. Nowhere near any roads and sometimes quite a distance from any civilization. If they don't get to the blaze quickly, the flames will often spread rapidly. Smokejumpers court disaster every day they're on the job. (on camera): When you talk to people you know that aren't close family, you tell them what you do, what do they say to you?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They think I should have my head examined.</s>TUCHMAN (voice-over): Part of the reason for that is because of how they get to the fires. (on camera): Firefighting is not an occupation for the timid particularly in this specialty. Take a look, these guys just don't fight fires, they sky dive into potentially deadly combustible wilderness. (voice-over): We were invited to watch the smokejumpers train in this canyon near Grand Junction, Colorado. After the smokejumpers land, their equipment is attached to its own parachute.</s>STEVE STROUD, SMOKEJUMPER: Inside the cargo you find our hand tools for fighting the fires.</s>TUCHMAN: The smoke jumpers who all work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Interior also have MREs, water and sleeping bags in their cargo boxes. Because they may be in the wilderness for up to 48 hours while hauling gear on their backs.</s>PHILIP LIND, SMOKEJUMPER: It usually weighs between 120 to 140 pounds and will hike out of that situation.</s>TUCHMAN: The fires in Colorado have been unpredictable and relentless, but there are so many other ways to get hurt including lightning and bad parachute landings. Philip Lind who's once seriously hurt when he missed the target.</s>LIND: I had a branch of a tree puncture me and come through this pelvis and eviscerate me and fortunately, the personnel I was with was a trained paramedic.</s>TUCHMAN: The smokejumpers put out the fires by clearing fuels with their equipment and digging fire lines. Also building backfires to stop the wildfires in their tracks. They have to get along with each other because their lives depend relying each other. (on camera): Are there times when you're fearful?</s>LIND: Most certainly. I think all firefighters have moment when they're fearful. We like to say courage is not the absence of fear, but making of action in spite of it.</s>TUCHMAN (voice-over): And there has been no shortage of action this fire season.</s>TUCHMAN: They're not only brave men and women. They're very kind and nice brave men and women too. It's enjoyable spending time with them. The crews know if it's safe to parachute is to fly 150 feet above the terrain, see if there's smoke, rocky terrain, once it's okay fly to 1500 feet and the smokejumpers do their jumping. Well, should convicted prisoners be provided air conditioning? What if the temperature in their cell is over 100 degrees? Our legal guys Richard and Avery will give us their take. It should be very interesting. If you have to go out today, just a reminder, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop, just go to CNN.com/TV.