Texas Forest Service gets new leader

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Thomas Boggus
Thomas Boggus

Tom G. Boggus has been selected as the new Director of the Texas Forest Service (TFS). In a very unusual system, the TFS is an integral part of the Texas A&M University System, and their Board of Regents made the selection for this position which has been vacant since May, 2008. Boggus has been serving as interim director, replacing the retired director James Hull.

The TFS has been the target of some criticism related to firefighting safety and the qualifications of their personnel. The most notable critic was the very well respected Tim Stubbs, who passed away on January 28. On his blog, Tim pulled no punches. Here is an excerpt from his December 26, 2009 post:

These folks (TFS) have made it very clear that they are going to do things their own way (described below) and to Hell with any of us who have a problem with that. What they seem to forget is that we (most of us) are still federal employees when we work for them and that all of their funding comes from FEMA, a federal agency. Then their threat becomes something akin to “if you don’t like the way we do things in Texas then you just won’t work here anymore”. I absolutely agree with that: I will not work there anymore. The issue is safety both of the public and certainly of firefighters consigned to TFS on a temporarily suspended agreement that they will keep us safe with the nationally recognized SOP’s, i.e. 10 and 18, LCES, Principles of Safe Flight, Anchor/Flank/Pinch, etc. “We do things different in Texas”.

We wish Mr. Boggus well in dealing with some of these problems.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.