

Jim Paxon worked for various forestry agencies and also as an alternate on wildland firefighting outfits for 34 years. As Chief Information Officer on the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire in Arizona, Paxon became the “face of the firefighters” and consulted with and advised then President Bush on the various aspects of the incident as well as the larger contemporary situation concerning wildfires, of which the “Healthy Forests Restoration Act” of 2003 has been the most significant result. Jim has also authored his own account of this specific fire that addresses the broader context of these events in relation to natural and human developments.