2007

The National Park Service Division of Fire and Aviation is pleased to announce the selection of Susie Bates as the new Aviation Branch Chief for the National Park Service.

Mike Wallace, the Division Chief for NPS Fire and Aviation stated, “Susie has a wealth of experience which she has gained from working in a wide variety of fire and aviation positions, including positions within the National Park Service. We welcome Susie back to the National Park Service and look forward to her working within the agency and with our interagency partners.”

Following several interagency positions with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, Susie accepted a position as Regional Aviation Management Officer for the National Park Service’s Pacific West Region in 2001. Susie’s responsibilities were extremely diverse, ranging from providing aviation support for search and rescue operations, law enforcement activities, fire aviation operations, and resource management activities to providing input for national policy decisions. Susie met all the diverse challenges head on with an exemplary work ethic and received the DOI Meritorious Achievement Commendation issued by the Secretary of the Interior recognizing outstanding service, following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In 2004, Susie returned to Boise, Idaho to work with the Department of the Interior’s National Business Center Aviation Management Directorate (NBC AMD). In the NBC AMD office she worked as Interagency Aviation Training Coordinator providing training expertise, support to the staff, and working on aviation policy issues for the Department of the Interior. After three outstanding years of service for NBC AMD, Susie again joins the National Park Service as Branch Chief of Aviation.

Susie began working as a student aide in 1975 on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for the Visitor Information Service. After her initial two years as a student aide, she worked as an Engine Crewmember before coming to Boise, Idaho to work as a Helicopter Manager at the Boise Interagency Fire Center (now called the National Interagency Fire Center). Susie went on to work in several positions that allowed her to gain experience working with interagency partners, including as a forest assistant fire management officer, forest aviation manager, regional helicopter operations specialist, and state aviation manager.

Susie states, “I feel privileged to have been selected for this position. I have had great experiences throughout the years working with a vast array of programs. I look forward to working with and supporting regions, parks and our interagency cooperators to ensure that aviation within the NPS continues to meet the unique requirements of our diverse missions.”

Susie is dedicated to her family and enjoys spending time with her two sons. Her oldest son, Trent, is a sophomore at Boise State University and her youngest son, Clint, enjoys riding their horses, wrestling, and playing football. In addition, Susie donates equipment, time, and horses to support the polo program at Eastern Oregon University. Susie and her family are great admirers of the outdoors and often visit our national forests and national parks.

The Aviation Branch works with various interdisciplinary and interagency partners to fulfill the National Park Service mission of protecting and preserving America’s heritage. For more information about the National Park Service’s Aviation Program, visit www.nps.gov/fire/fire/fir_aviation.cfm.

Fire and Aviation Management
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