Opening Comments from an Operational Perspective (Invited Presentation)

Frankie has worked in wildland fire for 38 years spending the first 14 years as a firefighter on hand crews, engines, helicopter/rappel modules and a smokejumper (parachute) responding to wildfires and helping ignite prescribed fires throughout the United States from Florida to Alaska, but mostly in the western United States. After finishing school (yeah, that took a while) he worked in various management positions including Assistant Fire Management Officer, Fuels Specialist, Zone Fire Management Officer, and Smokejumper Base Manager. He has also provided training and fire management expertise during short-term assignments to Mexico, Canada, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Indonesia.

He accepted his current position with the Washington Office, Fire and Aviation Management in 2012. In 2019 he served temporarily as the Assistant Director for Landscapes and Partnerships for the US Forest Service in Washington, D.C. overseeing Fuels, Fire Ecology, Fire Use, Air Resource, Prevention/Mitigation, Federal Excess Equipment, and Cooperative Fire programs. The old adage “Fire is a good servant but a terrible master” is a good description of his duties as Branch Chief for Fire Use where his work focuses on promoting the advantageous use of both prescribed fire and wildfire to create resilient landscapes and communities that can withstand and recover quickly from wildfire and improve the safety and effectiveness of wildfire response.

Frankie holds a Bachelor’s degree (B.B.A.) in Computer Information Systems and Management, (New Mexico State University-1989) and a Masters (M.S) in Forest Fire Science (Colorado State University-1997). He’s slowed down since the younger days, but still manages to get out on several prescribed fires and large wildfires each year, serving in various capacities from Operations Chief, to Fire Behavior Analyst, to instructor, trainer, or coach.

His wife Nancy is also a former fire fighter turned registered nurse, and together they have two children, daughter Ria and son Robbie.