News Release

Sara Sink named as new national wildland fire training specialist

Sara Sink joins the NPS Branch of Wildland Fire as the new training specialist.

News Release Date: February 13, 2023

Contact: Tina Boehle, 208-387-5875

Sara Sink has been named as the new national training specialist for the National Park Service (NPS) Wildland Fire Program. She joins Russ Babiak, who recently became the wildland fire training program manager. Sink’s career began in 2002 with the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) on the Olympic National Forest while attending the University of Washington. Graduating with a BS in Forest Management and a minor in Conservation of Wildland Resources, her early career was spent on engine crews, Redmond Hotshots, prevention, and then later fuels management.

She moved to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests in 2010 as a fuels specialist on the North Zone based in Priest Lake Idaho. Sink detailed as the forest training officer as well as a member of the National Training and Delivery Team for the National Advanced Fire & Resource Institute or NAFRI for short. More recently she accepted a fuels specialist position with the Spokane District Bureau of Land Management, her first position with the Department of the Interior.

"We're very excited to have Sara coming on board. Her diverse experience and background in training will be a tremendous asset in our efforts to advance workforce development initiatives," shared wildland fire training program manager, Russ Babiak.

Sara and her husband have four children, two girls and two boys. They stay busy with plenty of activities including hockey, soccer, and ballet.