Veteran fire and resources manager Joe Freeland named Nevada State Forester Fire Warden
Submitted by editor on Fri, 02/26/2016 - 3:25pm
Joe Freeland, a fire and aviation advisor for the Bureau of Land Management, has been named State Forester Fire Warden, the director of Nevada's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Friday.
Freeland brings more than three decades of fire and natural resource management experience to the position, said Leo M. Drozdoff, P.E., director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He begins work April 4.
“Joe has served as a local, regional and national manager of fire and natural resource programs and has managed multi-million dollar budgets,” said Drozdoff. “In addition, during this career he worked 17 years of it in Nevada, a state he holds dear and one to which he wants to return after serving in the nation’s capital.”
Since 2012 Freeland has served as the Senior Fire and Aviation Advisor for the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, D.C. His work included policy development for the Department of Interior on efforts related to conserving and restoring the sagebrush steppe in the western United States. A native of New Mexico, Freeland has spent much of his career in Nevada, including stints in Battle Mountain, Elko, Caliente and Las Vegas, along with special assignments in other locations in the state.
Freeland was the Western Regional Work Group Leader for the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and has served on fire assignments in all operational positions from firefighter to Incident Commander Type Two, a qualification he currently holds. He is also an expert in the use of prescribed fire – from environmental assessment development to burn plan preparation, complex burn boss to burn reviewer.
Freeland is also an accident investigation team leader and has investigated multiple serious wildland fire accidents during his career. During his career he also served as State Fire Management Officer for the BLM in Idaho and as a Fire Program Analyst on assignment to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.
“My objectives will be to continuously improve the health and condition of the vegetation in Nevada for future generations, establish and maintain strong partnerships and support and develop the personnel in my organization,” said Freeland. “I am honored to return to Nevada as the State Forester Fire Warden and look forward to serving the state.”
Freeland replaces current State Forester Fire Warden Bob Roper who is leaving due to personal reasons. “Bob has provided invaluable service to Nevada during his time in this role,” said Drozdoff. “I want to thank him for the tremendous leadership he has provided to the agency and I know he and Joe are working closely to maintain the momentum and innovation that Bob has brought to the Division of Forestry.”
— JoAnn Kittrell is the Public Information Manager for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
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