Mark is a master mitigator and innovation instigator, who blends 20+ years of broad public safety
and wildland fire management experience with a lifetime of human factors nerdiness to create
custom collaborative solutions for Fire, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management. He
started his career in 2005 with Kings County (CA) FD as a volunteer, in 2008 was accepted to the
Wildland Fire Apprenticeship Program on Sequoia NF, then held progressive Fire Management
positions until 2021. In the Fall of 2021, Mark left the U.S. Forest Service and founded Grounded
Truths LLC dealing in Wildland Fire, Prescribed Fire, Emergency Management, and unusual events
(e.g. Total Solar Eclipse) planning, preparedness, and response.

As of 31 January 2025, the FireUp job board hosts 261 fire and forestry employers across ten industry types, with 1,770+ active job postings. The western United States continues to have the highest concentration of active employers and jobs. The January 2025 LA disaster has likely further contributed to this trend as both public and private companies respond to the wildfires and assist communities with recovery.

In the first weeks of 2025, Los Angeles County, California, experienced catastrophic impacts from multiple wildfires, estimated to be the most devastating and costliest disaster in America’s modern history. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected communities, first responders, and frontline crews tirelessly working to respond, recover, and rebuild homes and lives devastated by these fires. 

Ryan has worked in the Fire Service for both federal and local agencies over the past 15+ years. He has led agency wildland divisions and crews as a Captain and coordinated with state and national agencies to acquire grants for wildland fire safety work and fuels reduction. He has mentored new firefighters, and developed training and education programs, including as a current part time instructor at a community college in the Flagstaff, Arizona. His true passion lies in helping others and he is very happy to now be a member of the FireUp team helping coach the next generation of fire and forestry professionals.

Patricia is a computational Ph.D. student researching wildfire smoke transport modeling and an aspiring science communicator. Passionate about disaster modeling and air quality, she draws inspiration from her childhood moments watching National Geographic to raise awareness of the various angles of disasters like wildfires through storytelling and promote resilience. Connect with her on the FireUp community platform to learn more! 

As of December, the FireUp job board hosts 257 fire and forestry employers across ten industry types, with 1,500 active job postings daily. The western United States reflects the highest concentration of active employers and jobs. 144 job applications were submitted through the FireUp job board in November, with the greatest number of applications going to jobs in California. The top employers to receive applications from FireUp’s job board this month were the County of Los Angeles, followed by the Northwest Youth Corps, California Conservation Corps, Conservation Legacy, Western Fire Chiefs Association, Gridware, the Bureau of Land Management, and the State of Washington.

As the new administration takes office in 2025, fire and forestry work faces both challenges and opportunities. In recent years, the twin crises of escalating wildfire impacts and workforce retention have exposed critical gaps in our nation’s wildfire mitigation and land management systems. To meet these challenges, a bold policy agenda must prioritize system-wide workforce expansion, cross-training, and modernization. The Trump-Vance administration must democratize access to whole-person development, lifelong learning, and career mobility with more opportunities for upskilling and pathways for non-degree credentials. This revitalization of the fire and forestry workforce system must be implemented through private and non-profit partnerships already leading the way in ensuring that fire and forestry careers are dignified, sustainable, and capable of securing a future for all American workers.

In October, we celebrated some significant milestones. The FireUp job board now hosts 255 fire and forestry employersacross ten industry types, we’ve surpassed 10,000 page visits, and enabled at least 350 applications from the FireUp Job Board!