Smokejumper Idaho: Air-Deployed Firefighter Dies In Accident During Training (VIDEO)

A smokejumper in Idaho died in an accident on Friday while parachuting, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and reported by the Associated Press.

The smokejumper, Mark T. Urban, from Boise, Idaho, was with the Great Basin Smokejumper Base. He was participating in a training jump approximately 45 miles east of Boise, the BLM said in a statement. Urban was the second jumper out of the plane, but the total number of jumpers is unknown.

The landing area was a mix of conifer trees, open meadow and brush fields.

Smokejumpers are required to parachute at least once every two weeks during fire season to stay in practice.

Urban, 40, had been in the air-deployed firefighting program for the past 11 years.

The BLM believes that Urban's parachute malfunctioned, according to Ken Frederick, a spokesman with the National Interagency Fire Center. A paramedic who arrived by helicopter pronounced Urban dead at the scene.

"There was a parachute malfunction at some time, or the parachute failed to do something, "Frederick said. "We can't speculate at this time. We'll have to wait for the investigation."

Urban was "very experienced, a leader in the program and one of the program's main trainers," Frederick said. He also put together the training program for rookie firefighters.

An investigation into the accident in being conducted and was expected to begin on Sunday. Urban is the first smokejumper to die on duty since 2000, according to Frederick.

Smokejumpers are deployed to help with fire suppression in rural areas, according to the BLM website.

"Using high-performance aircraft and parachutes, the jumpers' primary mission is to be first on the scene when fires occur in remote areas," the site reads. "The Boise Smokejumpers can operate out of Boise or virtually any airport with adequate runway length and fueling capabilities, providing a long-range, large-payload, rapid response to an emergency or ongoing fire."