She also referenced an issue that has dogged the Forest Service for years: reports of sexual harassment and assault among its fire crews. In her speech, she said the agency “cannot achieve our mission unless we have a safe and respectful work environment for everyone.” Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, she described plans to create an employee environment “free from harassment and retaliation.” “Directly tied to our mission are the employees, and every employee from first day in the door absolutely deserves a safe, respectful work environment,” Christiansen said. “We are putting down priorities and working together to make sure that everyone’s understood what that means, and if they don’t subscribe to that goal, there’s probably a better place people can work, a different place.” Christiansen’s predecessor, Tony Tooke, resigned after about six months on the job when allegations of sexual misconduct came to the surface. In 2016, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing examining issues of harassment within the Forest Service.
No mention of the fires raging in the West. Apparently the FS is more concerned about a safe work environment for their employees than a safe living environment for those residing in the West.
She has plenty of experience in firefighting. This article provides her background:
Vicki Christiansen has been serving as the interim Chief at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Prior to that she was Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry where she had oversight of Fire and Aviation Management, Tribal Relations, Forest Health Protection, Cooperative Forestry, Grey Towers and Conservation Education. She joined the Forest Service in 2010 as the Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management. Vicki has worked extensively on the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy bringing her experience as a line officer, land manager, wildland fire fighter and State Forester to the effort. Prior to joining the Forest Service, she served as the Arizona State Forester and Director of the Arizona Division of Forestry. She was responsible for the protection of 22 million acres of state and private lands in Arizona, including wildland fire management. As State Forester, Vicki represented Arizona at the national and state level on forest health and wildland fire issues. She was Chair of the Wildland Fire Committee for the National Association of State Foresters. Vicki also served as the Washington State Forester where she had a 26-year career with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). She started as a wildland fire fighter while still in college and held many different positions at Washington DNR with a strong emphasis in operations, managing state trust lands and regulating forest practices on state and private lands in Washington State. Her first permanent position was as a forester responsible for the reforestation of state trust lands in the Mt. Saint Helens blast zone. Vicki has been a wildland fire fighter and fire manager for 36 years. She has numerous credentials in the wildland fire program with a special expertise as a fire line-blasting advisor. Vicki has a B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Washington (1983, cum laude). She is married to a Fire Chief (retired) and has two grown sons.
1 comment:
Women on fire lines are a JOKE! How many women do you see leading a hot shot crew in line building? Fire line duty is nasty, dirty, dangerous, and exhausting work. Work not many women can do or like to do. Those who are on fire fighting crews are usually carried by the men in the crew NO MATTER WHAT THE PRESS SAYS! When you see fire fighters in press pictures notice how dirty their clothing is . Usually the reporter has on clean fire gear. You can bet the reporter was not near the hot part of the fire for very long.
Line duty sometimes last for more than 24 hours without a significant break. Sleeping in the dirt, eating cold rations, no hygiene, drinking hot water and on and on. Something women really strive for in their lives?
If women have been mistreated on fires that is sad. But maybe they got chewed out for not being able to keep up and say that is mistreatment. As for sexual mistreatment on a fire line? Nobody has time or interest in that, to say nothing of the grime and stink on the body after 5 days without a shower.
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