News

Karma Hope has rejoined the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Fire and Aviation as a management and program analyst, concentrating on agreements.

Stephanie (Steph) Auten has been selected as the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Fire and Aviation (DFAM) budget analyst within the Branch of Budget and Administration.

On May 18, 2024, at approximately 12:00 am, Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim structure fire department and law enforcement rangers responded to a structure fire within a concessionaire housing area. Prior to the arrival of the fire department, an employee used a fire extinguisher to put out most of the fire thereby potentially saving the lives of other residents and several cabins surrounding the structure fire. The fire department’s further suppression efforts extinguished the fire completely.

Hannah Jones has joined the National Park Service Division of Fire and Aviation as a budget analyst within the Branch of Budget and Administration.

Rhiannon Touchette has been selected as the visual information specialist (VIS) for the Branch of Communication and Education within the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Fire and Aviation.

Investigators have completed their review of the Bullfrog Marina fire that occurred on October 26, 2023. The source of the fire was undetermined and accidental in nature.

Rebecca “Becky” LaTour began her new position as a management and program analyst for the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Fire and Aviation in mid-January 2024.

Teresa Atkinson has been named as the new management and program analyst for the National Park Service Division of Fire and Aviation (DFAM) at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID.

Byron Smith is the new operations program manager for the National Park Service (NPS) Branch of Structural Fire. This will be Byron’s first opportunity to serve with the National Park Service, formerly serving as the assistant chief for operations at Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia. Byron has had a diverse firefighting career serving in a wide array of departments including, volunteer, municipal, US Army, US Air Force, and US Marine Corps.

Michael “Mike” Schell is the new training program manager for the National Park Service (NPS) Branch of Structural Fire. Mike previously served as the operations program manager, leading the NPS service-wide structural fire protection and suppression program.