The collection contains reports, correspondence, rosters, personal papers, oral histories, photographs, and films documenting the history of aerial fire management. The majority of the material in the collection was created by the association itself, by former smokejumpers or by the U.S. Forest Service. The collection includes materials regarding the development of parachute jumping during the F Studies – Aerial Control Parachute Jumping experiments of the late 1930s and early 1940s by the U.S. Forest Service. The collection also contains fire reports from various years including the investigation report regarding Mann Gulch, Montana (1949) as well as newsletters and magazines published by the National Smokejumper Association and contains numerous other magazine articles related to the development and history of smoke jumping and aerial fire management. The collection contains personal papers of individual smokejumpers including those of Bob Brennan, a smokejumper trained at Nine Mile Base (Montana) in 1941. This collection documents the importance of smoke jumping and provides personal accounts as well as early government information about exploration and development of wild land firefighting.

Series I, the National Smokejumper Association Records, primarily contains copies of the organization’s newsletter, Static LineStatic Line, and their magazine, Smokejumper Quarterly. It also includes a report of the Long Range Plan of the organization written in 2002 as well as reunion lists and copies of email correspondence about the organization.

Series II, History of Smoke jumping, comprises the bulk of the collection and is arranged chronologically within five subseries with the exception of Subseries 2: Personal Narratives, which is arranged alphabetically by individual, subject or organization. Subseries 1: Reports, Handbooks, and Manuals, is a chronological sequence of materials documenting a range of topics related to aerial fire management. Materials include fire reports, specifically a copy of the investigation of the Mann Gulch fire (1949) and the fire investigation report of the South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain (1994). Subseries 1 also includes safety manuals, the annual reports of Siskiyou Smokejumper base (1971 – 1980), a draft copy of a smokejumper study of Region 6 (1984), and trail maintenance reports. Subseries 2: Personal Narratives, is arranged alphabetically by last name or by organization and contains publications of rosters arranged chronologically, first-hand accounts, interviews and oral histories of the experiences of individual smoke jumpers as well as published narratives of individuals of specific regional smoke jumping stations including Cave Junction, Oregon (1944 – 50) and Region 4 (1940s) as well as narratives and copies of photographs of Civilian Public Service Fliers (1940s). Materials also include newspaper clippings, articles, obituaries, and photographs submitted by smokejumpers including a scrapbook of photographs of the Storm King Fire line (2000). Subseries 3: U.S. Forest Service Papers, documents the F Studies Aerial Fire Management Control Project (1940s) including papers related to the Civilian Public Service program and the technical developments of parachute jumping. Materials include memos, invoices, reports, correspondence and publications. Subseries 4: General Histories, contains overviews and timelines of major benchmarks in the history of smoke jumping. Items include booklets, chronologies, a conference paper and general histories of several regional smoke jumping stations including the North Cascades Smokejumper Base, the California Smokejumpers and the Siskiyou smokejumper base. Subseries 5: Articles/Clippings, includes published magazine and newspaper articles related to a broad range of topics about aerial fire management including several issues of National GeographicNational Geographic ranging from 1950s – 1980s. Subseries 6: Memorabilia, primarily contains copies of books and movie posters (1930s – 1950s) related to fire fighting including books for children.

Series III contains the Papers of Bob Brennan, a smokejumper trained at Nine Mile Base in Montana. Materials include diaries, jump logs, and photographs of his experiences in 1941 stationed at Moose Creek Airport/Guard station as well as an audio tape recording of an oral history interview from later in life.

Series IV is arranged chronologically by the content of the material and contains film reels, video cassettes and photographs on CD. Materials include a 12 tape series entitled Wilderness Survival as well as a film reel of the Smithsonian project about Smokejumpers from the 1940s and a copy of the Wilderness Warrior video. The series also includes computer cassettes and photos on CD of the North Cascades Smokejumper Base as well as a film reel of William Moody’s jump during an exchange with Russia (1976).

Series V was added in 2011 through a donation by Stevan M. Smith of over 200 hours of video, and corresponding video logs, from the research, editing and final production of the NSA documentary "Smokejumpers: Firefighters from the Sky," which was written and produced by Smith.