Sarzotti Named BLM Fire Chief

He's been "acting" in the job for over a year, and now it's official.  Tony Sarzotti is the new Fire Management Officer for the Central California region of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. 

The 30 year veteran firefighter came to BLM in 1989 from the U.S. Forest Service where he was an engine captain and fuels technician.  With BLM, he has been a fuels specialist, Fire Management Officer for the Bakersfield Field Office, and now FMO for the Central California region which includes four field offices.  He replaces Ed Wehking who is now Fire Management Officer for BLM-California.

Sarzotti is a 1972 graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in economics.  He began as a seasonal firefighter while in college and has been at it ever since.  He spent 17 years working in the Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts of the Los Padres National Forest.  After joining BLM he spent nine years as a member a Type I National Team, five of those years as a member of the command and general staff.  These elite teams  respond to fires and other emergencies around the country and the world.  In that capacity he has been called to duty in such places as Puerto Rico, Canada, Florida and Hawaii.

The fire fighting force Sarzotti takes over includes 10 stations and more than 100 firefighters.  The new FMO says his greatest challenge is implementing the National Fire Plan.  That plan has created new firefighting jobs at many agencies, making it tougher to recruit, train and keep good people. 

The BLM will be accepting applications for seasonal firefighting jobs at the first of the year.     

- BLM -