Ken Pimlott

Meet Ken

Ken Pimlott is a highly respected public safety leader and forestry professional with more than 40 years of experience in the fire service, emergency management, and natural resource protection. Over the course of his distinguished career, he served for three decades with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), rising through the ranks from seasonal firefighter to Director and Chief of CAL FIRE, a position he held from 2010 until his retirement in December 2018.

As Chief of CAL FIRE, Ken led the department through some of the most significant and destructive wildfire events in California history, including the North Bay Fires and the Camp Fire in Paradise. During his tenure, he worked closely with the Governor’s Administration and the California Legislature to expand the department’s budget and capabilities in response to the growing challenges posed by catastrophic wildfires, climate impacts, and declining forest health.

Ken also collaborated extensively with federal partners and members of Congress to advance legislation supporting forest management and wildfire protection. His efforts helped secure critical firefighting resources for California, including seven C-130 air tankers that significantly enhanced the state’s aerial firefighting capacity.

Throughout his career, Ken has served on numerous state and national committees and advisory groups, including the National Association of State Foresters Fire Committee, the California Homeland Security Advisory Committee, the California Drought Task Force, the California Task Force on Climate Impacts, and the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council. He also established and co-led a multi-agency task force that coordinated local, state, and federal responses to California’s unprecedented tree mortality crisis, during which more than 129 million trees were lost to drought and bark beetle infestation between 2010 and 2017.

Ken’s leadership experience spans communities throughout California. He spent ten years serving in Southern California, including as Fire Chief for the City of Moreno Valley and in leadership roles with the CALFIRE/Riverside County Fire Department.

Following the 2021 Caldor Fire, which burned across the Sierra Nevada and threatened communities surrounding Lake Tahoe, Ken led efforts to improve coordination of wildfire mitigation and resilience initiatives throughout El Dorado County. He played a key role in establishing the County’s Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience and currently serves as Chair of the Wildfire Preparedness Coordination Group, where public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders collaborate to advance long-term wildfire resilience strategies.

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Resource Management from Humboldt State University and is a Registered Professional Forester in the State of California.