Bureau of Land Management
Jon Skinner is Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist at the Bureau of Land Management's National Interagency Fire Center. Former NARUC President Paul Kjellander is Senior Advisor at Public Utilities Fortnightly.
As the largest and most complex fire program within the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management's National Interagency Fire Center is directly responsible for fire management on more than two hundred forty-five million acres. That land is mixed with federal, state, and local jurisdictions, making partnerships and collaborative efforts crucial to the mission of safety and fire management. That includes partnerships with utilities companies.
To make matters even more complicated, the Bureau of Land Management's National Interagency Fire Center implements fire protection on approximately six hundred fifty million acres of public land with other fire management agencies. This is all directed from its headquarters in Boise, Idaho.
It made sense for the PUF team's Paul Kjellander, former Idaho PUC President, to discuss with the National Interagency Fire Center's Jon Skinner, how that agency collaborates with utilities now that the fire season has greatly lengthened. Listen in on an important conversation.
PUF's Paul Kjellander: What is your role?
Jon Skinner: I work for the Bureau of Land Management at the National Interagency Fire Center here in Boise. My title is Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist.