Amador County – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection last week announced the promotion of the regional unit chief over Amador County, who will now be the head of the Cal Fire Northern Region.
CDF in a release Friday said Unit Chief Bill Holmes, head of the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit has been promoted to Northern Region Chief effective Jan. 1. Deputy Chief Jody Gossner will become the Acting Unit Chief of the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit until a permanent Unit Chief is appointed.
Fire Prevention Specialist 2 Teri Mizuhara announced the promotions in a release from the AEU Unit on Friday, Dec. 31. Holmes in the release said the decision to “leave AEU after seven-and-a-half years was not an easy one,” and he still felt like he “just got here” and was “full of ideas for the Unit".
Holmes said: “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to serve the people of the counties of Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, Alpine and San Joaquin. This has been one of the highlights of my career.”
Holmes will be Chief over 12 units in Northern California, stretching from the Oregon border to the Bay Area. Doug Wenham, chief of the Shasta-Trinity Unit, has been selected to be assistant Northern Region chief.
Chief Holmes started his career with CDF as a seasonal firefighter in 1969 while attending college. He worked his way up through the ranks to become the Unit Chief for the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit (AEU).
Holmes is a Cal Fire and State Fire Marshal certified Chief Officer. He is also qualified as a Type 1 National Incident Commander; Operations Section Chief; and Agency Administrator; and served at major emergency incidents throughout California, Wyoming, Montana and Oregon.
In 2007, Holmes co-chaired the Branding Committee that developed and recommended the new Cal Fire logo. He has also received Cal Fire’s Directors Leadership Award, Directors Commendation, and twice received the Directors Superior Accomplishment Award.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
