While the Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest, Debbie Cress, is temporarily assigned to the acting Deputy Chief of Staff position for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, James Duran will serve as acting Supervisor for the next four months. This is occurring while the largest fire in the recorded history of New Mexico, the Hermits Peak / Calf Canyon Fire, is still not officially contained.
From the Associated Press:
Some have questioned the timing given that the wildfire has yet to be declared contained and recovery work has just begun.Forest officials have dismissed criticism, saying the opportunity for Cress to work at headquarters initially came up in January and was the culmination of her work over the past year with the agency’s leadership.
Cress acknowledged in a statement Friday that it was difficult timing as her home state deals with the aftermath of the massive wildfire.
The 341,735-acre fire is the result of two prescribed fires on the Santa Fe National Forest that escaped control. One was a broadcast burn that crossed control lines during a strong wind. The other originated from slash piles that were ignited in late January that continued burning for months. In mid-April one or more of the piles became very active and began spreading and merged with the other escaped fire on April 22.
In 2018 another pile burning project on the Santa Fe escaped months after it was ignited and had to be converted to a wildfire. A Facilitated Learning Analysis found that “communication” and “prescribed fire preparation and risk” were common themes.
Ms. Cress began as the Forest Supervisor in April of 2021. Three months before, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported, she had transferred from a District Ranger position in Arizona to be the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Santa Fe National Forest.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim and Gerald.
Well written and agreed
The federal government doesn’t have to ‘fly’ and advertise every vacancy that is filled and it’s pretty normal for the FS to move people around laterally or on temp assignments. Really hope you have better things to do than waste federal resources and agency time on FOIAing this type of thing.
Did anyone know that Debbie Cress’s husband is the Regional Fuels manager, and was probably taking a lot of Risks to me burn targets for the year. Maybe he will get a promotion also. Just saying. Look it up.
Yes, I knew Debbie’s husband. And, yes he is the Region Fuels Manager. There’s so much more to say, but I’ll stop there.
Please explain what risks the regional fuels manager could possibly take “to me burn targets for the year”? That position has zero to do with implementation, that’s all handled at the district level.
Job performance is based on if you had achieved targets for the year.
Acres burned is one of those targets.
Frank-
Give us the source of your accusation about a forced resignation.
Bill thank you for asking him but he has no sources. He clearly made this up because he hopes it to be true, but West left for reasons that have nothing to do with these fires which were both human caused during fire restrictions. I’m left to wonder if these false claims could have anything to do with his recent visit to Flagstaff where he was soliciting business from people whose homes were destroyed during the fire, and that he only makes money if he can blame the Forest Service for doing something wrong?
As a 40 year federal service retiree and former Forest Service employee, I can attest (even though the Forest Service and Congressional politicians will adamantly deny) when things go bad on a forest Ranger district or at the supervisors office, the first thing the Forest Services does is transfer the district ranger or Forest supervisor. They want to protect their long terms investment of people they have “selected” to move up. The Forest Service is known for taking employees they want to make future “stars” and move them up the ladder as quick as possible. To be a really good Forest manager you must have the experience on the ground as well as be very knowledgeable of Forest management and especially how to critical think. Nearly every person in federal service and especially the Forest Service want to go through the process process (GS 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) as quickly as possible. Federal service retirement is based on the “high three” years of pay. Most “new” folks in the Forest Service who are promoted quickly through the GS process do not have the necessary experience and knowledge and do not know how to critically think an issue.
The Santa Fe National Forest should have opted for an EIS instead of the lesser EA. But who ever made the decision should have been experienced and knowledgeable that there was an major risk with a Rx burn if it got away. That analysis would have been vetted in the large EIS. Yes, EIS’s are exorbitantly more expensive and long in duration. But look what the Santa Fe NF Rx wildfire has now costs the public tax payers – and it is not over. The Santa Fe NF supervisor is the responsible person yet she got “promoted” to Washington DC.
WHERE are you getting your info from?? How many million acre fires were in 2021?, yes fire drones sound scary but really hold a relatively small amount of balls. ANNNNNDDD shoulder mounted ignition devices, WTF is that? I certainly have never used a bozooka, at work or at play unfortunately!
Hilarious subterfuge! I’ve had 3 atrocious Forest Supes throughout the years that all “took opportunities at the WO” after they flailed and floundered. The OLE WO line, they think it fools people. What a clown show.
Agree. Your response is excellent and appropriate. As a former FS employee from Southern California I know of a FS supervisor who was reassigned to a neighboring forest when “her” forest
catastrophically burned over 600,000 acres in a wildland fire and two mutual aid county fire fighters were killed. She waited to long to call in county and state mutual aid fire fighting resources thinking “her” FS fire folks could handle the human caused fire.
Thomas, the Station Fire was 160,000 acres, not 600,000, and I think it’s impossible to parse fact from fiction about Jody Noiron, I don’t know that there there has ever been an FS employee who has had more rumors about them than her (I don’t know her and have no idea what is true and what isn’t).
Thank you for the correction on the number of acres burned. It still remains that (1) it was started by a homeless encampment, (2) there were Los Angeles County Fire resources nearby that could have immediately assisted, and (3) two county firefighters were killed. It cost the tax payers $94M with over 200 structures lost. Judy Norion was playing politics of not wanting to pay for non-Forest services fire resources, “portal to portal”.
When Debbie worked in AZ, she was in charge of an IMPROVE air quality site. I was contacted by ADEQ and the EPA (separately), because the operator was not collecting the data. Let me make this very clear, the Forest Service (e.g. Debbie) was collecting the money, but the operator was not collecting the data. I went to the site and audited the site with the EPA. She told the me and the operator that the site was not important, and he should not waste his time. I explained to her that the EPA pays her to operate that air quality site…that this had been happening for years and that it was embezzlement. She refused to manage the site. So, I recommended that the site be closed. The site was closed and she was promoted. The Forest Service has the e-mails to prove all of this.
If you’re talking about the site at Pleasant Valley, that wasn’t being properly maintained/data recorded when I left that district, back when Don Luhrsen (that may not be spelled right) was the PV ranger. That was when PV and Payson were separate districts, quite a few years before Debbie became the zone ranger for both. Although blaming her for something that DL had basically let fall apart under his watch seems about on par with blaming her for prescribed burns that were authorized on the Go/No Go by district rangers.
AZFFT, so why wasn’t it being property maintained? It takes 15 mins to drive out to the site and change the filters. Debbie had a choice. She could have taken the money and managed the site or not taken the money and close the site. She chose to take the money and not manage the site. That is called embezzlement. (Embezzlement – the misappropriation of funds placed in one’s trust or belonging to one’s employer). That is why she was audited. She wasn’t blamed or even punished, in fact, she was promoted. The Regional Office decided to close the site, because Debbie refused do her job. So, back to my original question, why was I fired for doing my job, while she was promoted? I’m not angry. I’m not even bitter. I am confused. What did she do differently to get promoted?
P.S. I chose not to name the Forest or the operator, because I did not want the operator to get into trouble over Debbie’s mismanagement. He was only following Debbie’s orders.
It takes 15 minutes to get to the site from the ranger station . . . Which is closed and was closed before she became the zone ranger. So if the “operator” was an fs district employee they would likely have been at main office, a 1.5-2 hour drive away depending on road conditions. If they were a contractor or SO employee that drive is 3+ hours from the valley. I’m not saying either way about the site and the events as I have no dog in that fight, I’m just clarifying the reality of where that site is/was. Saying it’s easy to access is disingenuous.
P.S. – it’s not a secret what Forest she worked on in AZ, so I saw no reason to hide the location of that site.
P.P.S – to loop this all back to the backlash Debbie is receiving right now, why aren’t you naming and blaming the AZ forest Sup over this? I mean, everyone wants to blame her for the events on the Santa Fe because she’s the forest Sup there, implying that a forest Sup should ultimately shoulder the fallout from anything that goes wrong on their forest. So why in this instance would the ranger get the blame over the forest Sup? Especially when you consider that authorizations for those prescribed burns were given by the district rangers not the forest sup on the Santa Fe.
AZFFT, I’m not blaming Debbie. I am stating the facts. Debbie was the responsible party. In both instances. She took the money and did not manage the site, so the Regional Office had to step in. As for your comment about how far the site was. When I audited the site there were people still in the office. The office was still open. People who worked in the office lived in the town. I’ve been an operator and I use to hike 4.5 miles into the Grand Canyon in the heat, the rain, and the snow. It usually took 1.5 – 2 hrs to get down to the site and 3 – 3.5 hrs to get back. So, your arguement about how far it was is moot, because it all comes back to the fact that she was taking the money and not providing a service. AZFFT, I have no beef with you, as I said I don’t want to get the operator in trouble, because it was not his fault. It was the responsible party, which in both of these cases is/was Debbie. I admire that y’all are rallying around your friend, but y’all need to know who you are rallying around, because history has shown that the powers that be are protecting her, but they are not protecting you. Good luck and be careful out there.
Sooooo why were YOU fired, sounds like there is a story there that you are leaving out. Usually agencies and places of business do not fire people for “doing their job” after all that is what they pay you for.
Skeeter, I have told my story so many times…I’ve been on PBS, Dateline, NPR, Polico, and I even went to Congress. I did my job. I have wasted so much money and time going to EEOC and MSPB to be reinstated. And yes, there is a story that I’m leaving out, but Debbie needs to tell that story.
I’m sorry guys, but I knew Debbie and Debbie is a liar, a cheater, and she embezzled thousands of dollars from the EPA. Every time she got caught, she got a promotion. This is just another example of the WO protecting those they like. There is so much more to this story. I wish someone would dig a little deeper. Maybe someone should do an investigation on what really happened.
Back up your accusations with proof within 15 min or your comment will be deleted.
Wanting Cress’ head for a winter pile burn getting away months later and an Rx that she didn’t sign off on seems illogical to me. Obviously she cannot return to the Santa Fe, but people wanting her fired or demoted don’t understand how the world works.
Frank you misunderstand what happened on the Coconino NF. West’s retirement has everything to do with politics but nothing to do with fire.
Why did Laura have to retire?
Cutting through all the BS bureaucratic explanations, truth is someone had to fall over Calf/Hermits. The governor and their delegation would settle for no less. I’m sure there will also be some Fire Staff openings on this forest in short order as well.
Wow! I worked in Region 3. I get fired and Debbie Cress gets a promotion? Really? Wow!!!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Teddy Roosevelt
Double Sack Lunch Bro – Thankyou for this old quote today. One I have read often and or paraphrased over time.
True then. True now.
Oh how I tire of the Internet/Twitter/blog experts who spout their book learned, Facebook gathered opinions about how the world works.
Thanks Riva Duncan for your insights to this woman’s character and work history.
As an old Waddie Mitchell poem goes….
“The toughest broncs a big mouth rides,
are always in some other place ….”
Sincerely,
Ken Kerr – Retired – 1979-2014
Hi Ken. Good to hear from you, and I agree. I’m going to add that poem to my collection. Hope you’re well.
Riva
Double Sack Lunch Bro
Nailed it.
Wow! 18 months from DR to Deputy FS to Forest Supe to Acting Deputy Chief of staff for the entire USFS. Talk about a “rising star” huh?
Debbie Cress is a solid Forest Supervisor and great leader. She has stood by her folks and has never wavered in her support of them. I find that admirable and rare.
I agree, we had her as the DR. She was awesome and very engaged with her folks. She made it a point to be out on the burns with us from time to time. She always put her trust in her fire folks. Would happily have her back as DR again.
Who wrote this?
Bill – with all due respect I’d like to see more sources to the comment above ftom Frank Carroll other than just the reference to the 2021 article from “The New Mexican”. Mr Carroll has “supposed” and added quite a few of those suppositions in his comment without a lot of accurate facts as far as I can tell, as he does not cite his references.
As another commenter to Mr Carrolls writing brought our attention to the details of the fire bazooka Mr Carroll talks about there. If you’re going to defame someone or some agency, please give us facts that can be backed up with reliable sources.
Sincerely,
Ken Kerr
My unit has one of the larger fire programs in the country and if anyone would have a FIRE BAZOOKA, it would be us. Curious if Frank will let us know who is using the FIRE BAZOOKA because I want to call them and find out where to get it. It sounds awesome.
Thanks for that!
You made me smile!
Ken Kerr
He’s likely referring to this:
https://www.firequick.com/page/single-product/53/Firequick-Large-Format-Launcher
200 foot range, large format projectile. I’ve fired one once, and they are pretty awesome indeed, but not a bazooka by any stretch.
They always “fail up” in the Forest Service. Everyone working there knows that’s how it’s done.
Same in the Aerospace industry.
One of the times I passed over a “promotion”, it was related to charging the US government $5,000,007 for a $7 tube of dielectric grease, to fix a problem related to condensing humidity in the F22 design. I asked to be re-assigned to a real problem.
Mother Nature passed judgment on the F22 when she visited Tyndall Air Force Base in October 2018 – home of the F22 – and they lost -22- F22’s … which were then costing $330 Million Each. Because they couldn’t fly – with about 10 days to prepare for incoming hurricane – and the entire US military to help with getting non-fliers to a safer location inland.
However badly you think the US federal wildfire efforts are managed, it’s probably worse in the Aerospace industry.