Staff

Fred Bird

During his career, Fred has spent 31 years on the “fire line.” Beginning as a helitack crewman and then helitack foreman, Fred supervised primary initial attack firefighters on hundreds of wildfires. He also learned to use aerial ignition, applying fire on a landscape scale to accomplish resource benefits. These experiences, combined with a degree in wildlife biology, enabled Fred to advance to fire/aviation management positions at local and regional levels. In addition to serving on national incident management teams, Fred developed a specialty in managing wildland fire to replicate natural processes. This interest fueled his participation on national wildland fire use management teams. Fred’s expertise also resulted in dramatic increases in the number and size of prescribed fires in the NPS Midwest Region. He wrapped up his federal career with the Department of Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire Coordination in Washington, D.C.

Qualified Wildland Fire Experience:

• Incident Commander Fire Use Management Teams
• Type II Incident Commander
• Fire Use Manager
• Type II Operations Section Chief
• Type I Operations Branch Director
• Prescribed Fire Manager
• Complex Burn Boss
• Helicopter Coordinator
• Air Support Group Supervisor
• Aerial Ignition Specialist