Class Highlight: Planning Section Chief
This year, the L-962 All Hazards Planning Section Chief (PSC) class is taught by Jim Jaminet and Jeffrey Kolts. (See below for bios.) Together, these two instructors bring a myriad of experiences from both the wildland and all-hazards arenas, and each is eager to impart that experience to students wishing to become Planning Section Chiefs. Jaminet names his involvement with CWFIMA as a top priority: “I believe in the training environment it creates.” Jaminet says he sees more and more inexperienced people pushed into extremely stressful positions, and this can set them up for failure. “I don’t want anyone to fail. I want to give them a good basis to grow from. When you step into this position, now you’re the boss, and that’s quite a transition for some people… you can’t sacrifice quality in an effort to qualify quickly. I want to instill the ability to do the job well before you get to qualifying.” In the bigger picture, Jaminet is also referring to the importance of in-depth learning through mentoring – something to which both instructors have held a long-time commitment. Kolts has looked to Jaminet as a mentor in the field of Planning for many years. Now, Jaminet is excited to teach alongside someone he once trained – a mark of accomplishment for a man who states it is his job to “train his replacements”. Just as much, Kolts is looking forward to working with his mentor, “a man I respect greatly from the wildland world”. Kolts is passionate about doing for others what his mentor did for him. “I believe in the process. Teaching and mentoring is about paying it forward. Good people have gotten me this far, now it’s time for me to start helping people. And that’s how it should be for everyone. That’s your obligation. It’s required. Someone believed in you – now it’s your turn to help someone else.”
Jim Jaminet is now semi-retired after nearly 40 years of service in the USDA Forest Service. Throughout his career, he has served in numerous resource positions including timber & range management, recreation & special uses etc. Throughout his career, Jim has always participated in firefighting; first in operational positions and later specializing in planning functions. He has been a planning section chief on IMT2's and IMT1's and is currently an Assistant Area Commander Planning Coordinator. He has worked on multiple complex wildfires and all-hazard incidents. Mr. Jaminet has been involved with CWFIMA since 1996 and he currently operates a contract instructor business.
Jeffrey Kolts has spent 28 years in law enforcement with the Denver Police Department and is presently a Sergeant over the motorcycle training program and the motorcycle enforcement unit. He has planned and executed approximately 150 motorcades, dignitary visits, and police and firefighter funerals. He planned all motorcade routes for the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Mr. Kolts is a Type 3 Planning Section Chief for the Eastern Colorado Incident Management Team and the Colorado-3 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. He has been involved with CWFIMA since 2011. He is the owner of JPK Consulting, LLC which conducts exercise development, emergency planning, and IC training.
