Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Chief Brian Fennessy will retire on January 2, 2026, to become the inaugural Director of the newly established United States Wildland Fire Service (USWFS). The new federal agency, launching in January 2026, is designed to consolidate and modernize federal wildland firefighting efforts.
Fennessy announced the move in a letter to OCFA personnel, sharing that he will complete a federal onboarding process before stepping into the role. He highlighted the agency’s national reputation, the strength of OCFA’s mission-driven culture, and the opportunities ahead for improving coordination and safety at a federal scale.
Fennessy’s nearly 50-year career spans the full spectrum of wildland and metropolitan fire service leadership. He started in 1978 with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management as a hotshot and helitack firefighter, eventually serving as a crew superintendent.
He later joined San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, rising to Fire Chief in 2015 and developing one of the nation’s first multi-mission Fire/Rescue/EMS helicopter programs. Since 2018, Fennessy has led OCFA, where he strengthened regional wildfire response, championed a Mission-Driven Culture approach, and guided major initiatives in aviation, technology, and community risk reduction.
His background also includes building one of the country’s first All-Hazard Incident Management Teams, serving on National Incident Management Teams, completing extensive ICS and NIMS training, and a decade representing the International Association of Fire Chiefs on the NWCG Leadership Subcommittee. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, a longtime colleague, former U.S. Fire Administrator and HSToday Editorial Board member, called his appointment a major development for the fire service, noting that “Brian’s selection to lead this groundbreaking federal agency… reflects a career defined by innovation, operational excellence, and unwavering commitment to firefighter safety and community resilience.”
She added that his career has been marked by refusing to accept the status quo, pointing to initiatives ranging from early helicopter program development to the OCFA Quick Reaction Force partnership.
In his letter, Fennessy told OCFA personnel that he will work closely with leadership in the coming weeks to support a smooth transition. He emphasized that the creation of the USWFS offers a “historic opportunity” to elevate wildland firefighting, strengthen interagency coordination, and modernize capabilities across the country.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
