CAREER
CAREER IN
CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE AND THE CHANGES HE HAS SEEN IN FIRE
AND OF COURSE, WHAT COMES
NEXT.>> MY SON IS COMING HOME,
HE IS ON LEAVE FROM THE ARMY,
FOR THE HOLIDAYS, WE ARE
PICKING HIM UP ON SATURDAY.
I HAVE NO PLANS AFTER THAT.
WE WILL TAKE IT AS IT COMES.
>> Reporter: AFTER 30 YEARS OF
SERVICE, CAL FIRE CHIEF KEN
SAYS IT IS TIME TO HANG UP HIS
HAT.
HAT.
HAT. WHAT
HAT. WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?
>> SHORT-TERM IT IS JUST SORT
OF, ENJOY THINKING OF THE PAST
THREE DECADES AND THIS LONG
CAREER AND CHAPTER IN MY LIFE
THAT I AM CLOSING OUT, AND TAKE
SOME TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS
NEXT.
NEXT.
NEXT. >>
NEXT. >> Reporter: FOR THE FIRST --
PAST EIGHT YEARS HE HAS SERVED
AS CHIEF OVERSEEING THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE STATE.
>> NOT JUST FIREFIGHTERS BUT
RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS,
RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS, FORESTERS, FIRE MARSHALS,
>> Reporter: A DIFFICULT JOB
AND EVEN ONE THAT IF HE DID NOT
KNOW WHAT HE HAD BEEN PREPARING
FOR NEARLY ALL OF HIS LIFE.
>> Reporter: ACTUALLY STARTED
AS A FIRE FIRE IN COSTA COUNTY
AT THE AGE OF 17 I WAS A SENIOR
IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THERE WAS A
FIRE BEHIND MY HOUSE, AND, I
GOT INTERESTED.
GOT INTERESTED. SO I LITERALLY STARTED, IT WAS
LIKE A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER WE
WERE PAID WHEN YOU RESPONDED TO
CALLS, IT WAS MY FOOT IN THE
DOOR.
DOOR.
DOOR. >>
DOOR. >> Reporter: FROM THERE GOING
ON TO GET DEGREES AT HUMBOLDT
STATE AND AMERICAN RIVER
COLLEGE IN SACRAMENTO.
EVENTUALLY JOINING CAL FIRE
WHERE HE ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS.
>> Reporter: WHAT HAS BEEN THE
MOST CHALLENGING DAY IS FIRE
CHIEF?
CHIEF?
CHIEF? >>
CHIEF? >> GETTING THE PHONE CALL.
GETTING THE PHONE CALL THAT A
FIREFIGHTER HAS DIED IN THE
LINE OF DUTY IS THE MOST
DIFFICULT CHALLENGE.
DIFFICULT CHALLENGE. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL THIS YEAR.
AND, IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT.
>> Reporter: YOU COULD SAY THAT
HE HAS HAD THE MOST CHALLENGING
TENURE AS CHIEF, LEADING
CALIFORNIA THROUGH SEVERAL OF
THE WORST WILDFIRES THE STATE
HAS EVER SEEN.>> Reporter: HOW
HAVE YOU CHANGE WITHIN THE PAST
EIGHT TIMES?
EIGHT TIMES? >> SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PAST
FEW MONTHS WE HAD THE MOST OF
THE STATE HERE IN THE STATES
HISTORY WITHIN A FEW MONTHS.
>> Reporter: HAS A TAKEN A TOLL
ON YOU AS THE CHIEF?
>> HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON
EVERYONE.
EVERYONE.
EVERYONE. >> Reporter: TRACING THE START
OF THE MAGNIFIERS BACK TO THE
DROUGHT WHERE FIREFIGHTERS
STARTED NOTICING THE VEGETATION
WAS CHANGING.
WAS CHANGING. >> WE STARTED TO REALIZE IT WAS
GOING TO HAVE A CHANGE IN FIRE
BEHAVIOR.>> Reporter: CLIMATE
CHANGE IS NOT SOMETHING WE TALK
ABOUT THE DROUGHT AND THIS
CHANGE AS WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT IS THE TOP OF
MIND FOR YOU?
>> IT IS AND I KNOW THAT IT
GENERATES DIFFERENT THOUGHTS
FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS, BUT AT THE
END OF THE DAY FIREFIGHTERS ARE
SEEING CLIMATE CHANGE EVERYDAY
FIRSTHAND IT IS STARING THEM IN
THE FACE.
THE FACE.
THE FACE. I AM A BELIEVER THAT THINGS ARE
CHANGING LITERALLY WITHIN THE
PAST 10 YEARS YOU CAN POINT TO
AREAS WHERE THESE CHANGES ARE
OCCURRING.
OCCURRING. FIRES THAT WE WOULD CURRENTLY
BE ABLE TO CONTAIN, BEING ABLE
TO LOOK HISTORICALLY WHERE THEY
HAVE BURNED, THEY ARE NOT
HAPPENING IN THE SAME PLACES
WERE NOT ABLE TO DO THE SAME
THINGS IN THE SAME PLACES.
>> Reporter: WHAT HAVE YOU MADE
OF THE RESPONSE TO THE RECENT
FIRE?
FIRE?
FIRE? THE
FIRE? THE PRESIDENT DENYING CLIMATE
CHANGE?>> OBVIOUSLY WE DO NOT
AGREE.
AGREE.
AGREE. >>
AGREE. >> Reporter: HAS IT BEEN
FRUSTRATING TO SEE ELECTED
OFFICIALS NOT TAKING THIS
SERIOUSLY?
SERIOUSLY? >> IT CAN BE PUZZLING WHEN WE
ARE EXPERIENCING IT REAL TIME.
BUT THE REALITY IS, WE ARE NOT
LETTING THAT STOP US.
>> Reporter: STOPPING THESE
MAGNIFIERS IS GOING TO REQUIRE
A VARIETY OF STRATEGIES,
INCLUDING RETHINKING HOW WE
BUILD IN THE PLACES THAT ARE
FIRE PRONE.
FIRE PRONE. >> OF COURSE WE NEED MORE
HOUSING AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AT THE SAME TIME WE DO NOT WANT
TO PUT PEOPLE IN CRIMES WAY.
>> Reporter: YOU ARE NOT SAYING
PEOPLE IN PARADISE SHOULD NOT
REBUILD?
REBUILD?
REBUILD? >> NOT SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD
NOT BUT WE ARE HAVING THE
OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT AND
WHAT WE COULD GIVE BACK THAT
WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAT COULD
MAKE THE COMMUNITY MORE
RESILIENT.
RESILIENT. >> Reporter: IN THIS PAST YEAR
SO CONSUMED BY FIRE, IT MIGHT
SEEM SURPRISING THAT THIS IS
WHEN HE HAS DECIDED TO RETIRE.
BUT, AFTER DECADES OF SERVICE,
HE SAYS THAT IT IS TIME.>>
EIGHT YEARS OF VERY CONDITIONS,
DIFFICULT CONDITIONS, HAS
PEOPLE TIRED.
PEOPLE TIRED. I AM NOT PRINT OUT NOW IS THE
TIME TO BRING IN THE NEXT WAVE
IN THAT THOSE FOLKS GET THEIR
FEET ON THE GROUND, AND CARRY
THE BALL TO THE NEXT STEP.
>> Reporter: THANK YOU FOR THAT
SITDOWN INTERVIEW, IT WAS
FASCINATING TO TALK TO HIM AND
I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT
TO MY FACEBOOK FRIEND LYNN, SHE
WANTED ME TO ASK HIM IF HE WAS
OPTIMISTIC THAT WE CALIFORNIANS
WILL AT SOME POINT BE ABLE TO
SUPPRESS AND REDUCE FIRES, HE
TOLD ME HE IS OPTIMISTIC THAT
WE CAN MITIGATE THE FIRES BUT
IT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN
OVERNIGHT, AND NOT EVEN IN THE
NEXT YEAR, AND THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE FOR THE NEXT TEAM
WILL BE DEALING WITH THE NEXT
MAGNIFIER, WHAT COMES NEXT,