GOLDEN POND, Ky. (April 1, 2026) — From the hills of North Carolina to every state in the country and several foreign countries, Russell Harris has been there. But those weren’t just visits, they were assignments, missions and jobs that made up nearly 37 years of service to the wildland fire community. Harris has spent the last 24 years with the USDA Forest Service, most recently serving as the Fire Management Officer for Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area since 2022. He is now looking ahead in retirement.
“I would never have expected my career to take me where it has, all in the name of fire. And it’ll always be a part of me, ” said Harris.
From a variety of land management jobs for the state of North Carolina to national hotshot crews to teaching fire suppression internationally, Harris has utilized his career experience to the benefit of others. Harris has served the Forest Service at the forest and regional levels with stints on the Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, as well as multiple positions for Region 9’s Fire and Aviation Management.
Regardless of locations around the country, Harris has left a lasting impression on the wildland fire community,
“Few of us have the name recognition Russell Harris enjoys within the Forest Service and with firefighters,” said Jim McCoy, Area Supervisor at LBL. “It has been an honor and privilege to work with and learn from him. It’s also been a lesson on what true humility and humanity look like.”
All that knowledge won’t be lost thankfully as Harris will continue teaching future generations of wildland firefighters and remain active with national incident management teams.
“I always like to tell people, ‘If I can do these things, just think of what you’re capable of. What a life you could lead,’” said Harris.
