Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter To Retire Next Month

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November 15, 2021 astatine 2:33 pm

SACRAMENTO (AP) – The main of California’s forestry and wildland firefighting bureau announced Monday that helium volition discontinue adjacent period aft shepherding the authorities done 3 historical wildfire seasons, the astir caller of which saw 2 monolithic blazes span the Sierra Nevada for the archetypal clip successful recorded history.

Thom Porter’s tenure was not without controversy, arsenic erstwhile helium took the blasted successful June for Gov. Gavin Newsom overstating the magnitude of onshore that had been treated with prescribed burns and substance breaks designed to dilatory wildfires.

Newsom said 90,000 acres had been treated, erstwhile Capitol Radio archetypal reported that the existent fig was 87% less. Porter said his Department of Forestry and Fire Protection had done a mediocre occupation educating the governor, and the public, astir its efforts.

Newsom connected Monday praised Porter for seeing the authorities done “unprecedented wildfire challenges.”

He did not instantly name a successor for Porter, who volition discontinue connected Dec. 10.

“Californians are fortunate to person had his steadfast enactment guiding our preparedness, effect and betterment efforts,” Newsom said successful a connection thanking Porter for much than 20 years of service.

Porter is simply a registered nonrecreational forester with a bachelor’s grade successful wood absorption and came up done the forestry broadside of the agency. He joined successful 1999 aft moving arsenic a forester successful the timber manufacture successful Washington, Oregon, and California.

But his duties implicit the years included vegetation management, pre-fire programs and readying for wildfires arsenic warring fires progressively became the agency’s apical priority. He became occurrence main of the department’s San Diego County unit, main of the department’s confederate region, past the department’s main of strategical planning.

He became acting main successful precocious 2018 with the status of Ken Pimlott, and took the station permanently arsenic soon arsenic Newsom took office.

He said helium plans to instrumentality to San Diego to absorption connected his household and aging parents.

Porter said successful an announcement to his unit that helium is leaving “with bittersweet feelings, balanced by heavy pride” successful the agency.

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