Chief Ken Pimlott, acting Cal Fire director, announced the appointments, which take effect on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011.
The following chiefs will fill critical vacant positions managing Cal Fire's two regions and 21 operational units: Southern Region Chief Dale Hutchinson, Northern Region Chief Bill Holmes, Assistant Southern Region Chief Stan Craig, Assistant Northern Region Chief Doug Wenham and Assistant Deputy Director, Cooperative Fire, Training and Safety Program Clare Frank.
“I cannot recall a time when Cal Fire has experienced such a significant turnover in key leadership positions at one time,” said Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott. “Each of these individuals brings new depth and experience to an already strong leadership team that will guide the Department through the many challenges ahead.”
Southern Region Chief Dale Hutchinson
Chief Hutchinson, of Banning, has 30 years of experience in the fire service, and most recently served as the assistant region chief for the Southern Region where he managed operations, administration and resource management for the nine Southern Operational Units and five contract counties within the Southern Region.
Hutchinson also served as the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Fire and Rescue Branch Region Coordinator for Cal EMA Region 6 (Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties).
Prior to his assignment as the assistant region chief, he served as the unit chief of the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit where he managed all risk operations in the three counties.
Chief Hutchinson has extensive experience in cooperative fire protection agreements and contract county administration from his 25 years working through the ranks from volunteer firefighter to deputy chief in the Riverside Unit.
He has a diversified background in fire protection operations, administration, budgets, labor relations, volunteer firefighter programs, fire prevention, law enforcement and pre-fire engineering.
Hutchinson served on Cal Fire Incident Command teams for eight years, with his last position as incident commander.
As the Cal Fire Southern Region chief, Hutchinson will oversee nine units from the Central Valley to the Mexico border.
Northern Region Chief Bill Holmes
Chief Holmes, of Cameron Park, started his career with Cal Fire as a seasonal firefighter in 1969 while attending college. He worked his way up through the ranks to the position of unit chief for the Amador-El Dorado Unit.
He is a certified chief officer in Cal Fire and with the State Fire Marshal. Holmes is a qualified national incident commander, operations section chief and agency administrator having served on major incidents throughout California, Wyoming, Montana and Oregon.
In 2007, Chief Holmes co-chaired the branding committee that developed and recommended the new Cal Fire logo.
As the Cal Fire Northern Region chief, Holmes will oversee 12 units from the Oregon border to the Bay Area.
Assistant Southern Region Chief Stan Craig
Chief Craig, of Coarsegold, began his career with Cal Fire in Orange County in 1973. He worked in the Orange Unit and the Riverside Unit before moving to the Cal Fire Training Academy in Amador County.
After working at the training academy, Chief Craig moved to the Madera- Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU), where he spent the remainder of his first 31 years with the Department.
In MMU, he worked his way up from battalion chief all the way to unit chief before he retired in May 2004.
In July of 2009, Chief Craig returned to state service and was appointed to the position of management services staff chief for the Southern Region.
Assistant Northern Region Chief Doug Wenham
Chief Wenham, of Redding, began his career with Cal Fire in 1982 as a seasonal firefighter in the Shasta-Trinity Unit (SHU).
In 1988, after a stint with the city of Redding Fire Department, he returned to Cal Fire and was appointed to a position as a fire apparatus engineer in the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit (NEU). He worked in NEU in various assignments including fire captain and battalion chief.
In 2000, he transferred back to SHU where he promoted to assistant chief in 2006, deputy chief in 2007 and to unit chief in January 2010.
As the SHU unit chief Wenham also served as the Shasta County Fire Warden and the Shasta County Cal EMA Operational Area Coordinator.
Chief Wenham is also a peace officer, has an AA degree in fire science and served seven years on Cal Fire Incident Command teams, including as the Incident Commander on Cal Fire Incident Command Team 1.
Cal Fire Assistant Deputy Director of Cooperative Fire, Training and Safety Program Clare Frank
Chief Frank, of San Jose, has more than 23 years of fire service experience.
Prior to this appointment, Frank was the deputy chief of the Civil Cost Recovery Program, which recouped nearly $26 million in the past 24 months from parties who negligently caused fires.
Chief Frank began her career as a seasonal firefighter in the San Mateo-Santa Cruz (CZU) Unit in 1982.
She has held a variety of field and management positions in the Department, working in training, fire prevention, administration and operations.
She also served as the fire chief for the city of Milpitas, a progressive, all-risk fire department in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Chief Frank is also an accomplished attorney who has practiced as a labor-employment lawyer, a California deputy attorney general and a federal staff attorney for the U.S. District Court.
She holds an associate of science degree in fire protection technology, a bachelor's of science degree in fire administration, a juris doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law and is a member in good standing of the California Bar.
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