News Release
DOI/K SHULTZ
News Release Date: August 26, 2022
Contact: Tina Boehle, 208-387-5875
Robert “Jim” Shultz, National Park Service (NPS) Branch of Wildland Fire Qualifications and Training Program manager, has been named as the NPS Wildland Fire Operations Program leader in the NPS Branch of Wildland Fire. Jim fills the position left vacant in March 2021 when Chad Fisher became Branch Chief.
Jim served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and began his wildland fire career with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in 1990 working on an engine crew. After four years he moved on and spent three years as a member of two interagency hotshot crews before working as a smokejumper based in McCall and Boise, Idaho from 1998 to 2004, on the Payette National Forest and Great Basin Smokejumpers, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) respectively. Jim went on to gain experience as an assistant fire management officer with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and United States Forest Service (USFS) as well as experience as a district fuels specialist for the USFS. Jim came to the NPS in 2008 as a training specialist and became the Qualifications and Training Program manager in 2013. Jim took temporary promotions as the USFS branch chief for Fire and Aviation Training, and as a fire management specialist in the Department of the Interior Office of Wildland Fire. He is a qualified Type 1 Plans Section Chief and is an active member of a Type 1 incident management team. Jim earned a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and has demonstrated leadership within the NPS, interagency wildland fire community, and incident management. Jim received the 2013 Paul Gleason Lead By Example Award for Teamwork and Mentoring from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Leadership Committee.
“Jim’s breadth and depth of experience will play a critical role as the Wildland Fire Operations Program leader”, said Chad Fisher, Acting Division Chief, Fire and Aviation Management. “Jim will provide stability within the Operations Program, experience in the critical issues affecting the total NPS wildland fire workforce, and vision within the Operations Program, Branch of Wildland Fire, and as a member of the NPS Fire Management Leadership Board. I look forward to working with Jim in this new leadership capacity.”
Jim and his family live in Boise, Idaho. Jim enjoys spending time with his wife Krysta and their children, Juniper and Bridger. During free time, he can be found dirt biking, kite boarding, and supporting his children as they explore their emerging passion for outdoor activities.
Last updated: August 26, 2022