I’m pleased to share that Sarah Fisher has been selected as the Forest Service’s deputy chief for Fire and Aviation Management, Safety and Employee Wellbeing.

This is more than a personnel change. It represents a deliberate shift in how we lead the world’s largest wildland fire organization. By elevating Sarah’s Fire director position to the deputy chief level, we are ensuring that our fire, fuels, and aviation programs have a direct voice in top‑level decision‑making. This change aligns with the Department of Agriculture’s direction to streamline operations, eliminate redundancies, and improve the overall function of the interagency wildfire response system. 

Many of you know Sarah well. Over her 32‑year career with both the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, she has served in nearly every facet of wildland fire management. Her experience on incident management teams, her leadership in Incident Business Management, and her service as both deputy director and director of Fire and Aviation Management have prepared her exceptionally well for this role. She brings deep operational knowledge, steady leadership, and a genuine commitment to the wildland firefighting community.

I also want to recognize David Lytle for his leadership as acting deputy chief during this transition. Dave has been asked to serve on a special assignment to the Chief’s Office, and I’m grateful for his continued service. 

Please join me in congratulating Sarah on her new role and thanking Dave for his service during this transition.