Scott Holmquist

Scott Holmquist is retired from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) as the Assistant Deputy Director of Fire Protection Operations. With over 40 years of combined experience in All-Hazard Emergency Incident Management response and training. Qualified and certified as a Type 1 Incident Commander and was Deputy Incident Commander on one of CAL FIRE's Incident Management Teams and was qualified for several other ICS positions i.e. Safety Officer. Agency Administrator, Liaison, Operations Section Chief and Communications Unit Leader. His experience and leadership included departmental representative at State Operations Center (SOC), Geographic Area Coordination Center NORTHOPS, Regional Operations Center, Local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and on a state Multi-Agency Coordination Group. This included training and experience in wildland fire behavior, fire investigation origin and cause. Scott has worked in all levels of ALL Hazard Response in the field as an incident Commander, Department Operations Centers, City and County EOC’s, Regional EOC, Statewide Multi Agency Coordination, Agency Administrator and the California State Operations Center (SOC). In addition to mentoring staff during activation of the Public Health Department Operations Center. Scott has provided emergency management and firefighter training to several foreign counties in Mexico, Central America and Argentina. Scott worked four years at Pacific Gas & Electric Company as a Public Safety Specialist that included Agency Representative/Company Representative on several natural, human-caused incidents, wildland fires and other All – Risk incidents and planned events such as Super Bowl 50. Scott worked in ALL levels of the PG&E’s Emergency Management, from the field level to the Company EOC in various positions and mentored many of the Incident Commanders and EOC Directors during his time at PG&E. He developed asset and infrastructure protection planning/mitigation, emergency preparedness and response exercises for hydroelectric generation for PG&E and local and state response agencies, working as a utility representative at the State Operations Center during PG&E first declared Public Safety Power Shutoff. Providing expertise in fire safety & training, hazard & risk analysis, fire prevention planning, wildfire mitigation plans, emergency operation plans, emergency response plans, company response plans and inspections of field crew employees to reduce ignition of equipment for utility companies, vegetation management companies that conduct vegetation management to utility companies. This included response to ALL-Hazard incidents that were within the company and incidents that posed a threat to the company assets and infrastructure. This includes Wildfire Risk Assessment and developing Hazard Mitigation Plans for residential, commercial and wineries. Scott remains qualified and certified by FEMA/DHS Emergency Management Institute, California Incident Command Certification System, California State Training Institute (CSTI), and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to teach several of the top-level Incident Command System position specific classes that includes Incident Commander, several of the management and operation classes for Emergency Operations Center courses. Scott continues to instruct courses to local, state and federal agencies in addition to several utilities and provide emergency management consulting across the United States, most recently instructing a Liaison course with students from across the country.