As we approach fire season, the Deschutes National Forest Service is announcing a new Manager for the Redmond Air Center is now Maurice Evans. Evans was a forest fuels special on the Deschutes National Forest until his recent promotion. Spokesperson Jean Nelson Dean says running the Redmond Air Center is an important job. “The Redmond Air Center, that is part of the Deschutes National Forest is a national resource. We have smoke jumpers, all of our retardant planes, spotter planes, firefighters come there and get sent out of there. We have, what is called is our cache; if you think about it, it’s a big warehouse that supplies all those tents and generators and chairs and tables for when we have fire camps. And they support the whole nation, mostly the Northwest, but our air center really is a special place.” Evans replaces Dan Torrance, who retired in January. In another leadership change, Shane Jeffries, the District Ranger of the Bend Fort Rock Ranger District is now the new Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Deschutes National Forest. Jeffries takes over that post following Mary Farnsworth's promotion to forest Supervisor on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.