Former Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority Brian Fennessy, who grew up in Altadena, will oversee the creation of the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service, the Department of the Interior announced on Jan. 12.

He brings nearly 50 years of firefighting experience, having most recently witnessed the devastation of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires in the Southern California region, which together destroyed thousands of homes and killed 31 people.

“Wildfire response depends on coordination, clarity, and speed,” Fennessy said in a statement. “This initial planning effort is about bringing programs together, strengthening cooperation across the Department, and building a framework that better supports firefighters and the communities they serve.”

Fennessy also previously served as fire chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. He started his career with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The experienced fire chief led wildfire suppression, aviation operations, and emergency response during some of California’s most challenging fire seasons.

Fennessy retired Jan. 2 to become director of the new federal department.

“The creation of the [U.S. Wildland Fire Service] presents a historic opportunity to strengthen interagency coordination, modernize capabilities, and elevate the profession of wildland firefighting,” Fennessy wrote in a resignation letter to his staff shared with media outlets.

The U.S. Department of the Interior said the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service will unify national fire response as wildfires increase in size and intensity.

“Wildfire does not discriminate,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “It impacts rural towns and major cities, businesses and families alike. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the Department of the Interior is taking decisive steps to strengthen coordination and preparedness as we confront an escalating wildfire challenge.”

The Department of the Interior distributes wildland fire management across several bureaus and offices, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Office of Aviation Services, and the Office of Wildland Fire.

The programs work together but require coordination, according to the department.

President Donald Trump outlined his priorities for modernizing the nation’s wildfire response in the executive order “Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response,” which he signed on June 12, 2025.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns homes on the Pacific Coast Highway during a powerful windstorm in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2025. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

In the order, Trump called for streamlining wildland fire programs to achieve the most efficient and effective use of fire offices, programs, budgets, procurement, research, and other measures.

Globally, wildfires burned through nearly 390 million hectares (964 million acres) in 2025—equal to about 92 percent of the European Union’s land area, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The total cost of damages caused by natural hazards last year reached $224 billion, the organization reported.