Ockfen chosen for lands bureau

BOISE – Ken Ockfen has been named fire management bureau chief for the Idaho Department of Lands in Coeur d’Alene, the department announced Tuesday.

Ockfen, most recently the area manager for the department in St. Maries, will oversee statewide fire prevention and protection on more than 6 million acres of state and private forests and rangelands, and will be in charge of 40 year-round employees and 150 seasonal firefighters.

Prior to joining the department in 2005, Ockfen worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry from 1977 to 2005.