Art’s wildland fire management career began as a seasonal GS-2 BLM engine crewman. Nearly thirty three years later he retired as FWS National Fire Plan Coordinator. Intense Alaska fire seasons and the associated unique opportunities provided broad suppression and mid-level team experience in command, line, air operations, planning, and logistics. Early in his career he gained a diversity of incident experience in command, line, air operations, planning, and logistics; through a mentoring experience, he turned his focus into the planning and training arena. Alaska Fire Service provided Art a unique opportunity to develop Regional-specific training programs and fire ops guides. Study of fire fatality incidents resulted in development of expertise in fire behavior analysis and fire behavior training.
During a long tenure as Zone FMO at Zion National Park, Art was at the forefront in managing unplanned ignitions, and expanding the scope of prescribed fires and other fuels treatments at Zion and other Utah parks. His extensive interagency working group experience began in the Great Basin and continued in the Intermountain Region, culminating in the work as National Fire Plan Coordinator, a member of the NIFC fire staff and liaison to the National Wildlife Refuge System headquarters staff.
As a re-hired annuitant, Art was a Planning Specialist for N-MAC support during PL 4 and PL 5 in 2006 and 2007. Under WFA contract, he has written and revised Fire Management Plans and fire program EAs. His interest in fire behavior, fire policy, fire planning, and fire restoration continues.
Key Qualified Wildland Fire Experience:
- Type III Incident Commander
- Type 1 Burn Boss
- Division Supervisor
- Type II Planning Section Chief
- Fire Behavior Analyst
- Type II Logistics Section Chief