Our very own John Benson, retired BMFPD fire chief, recently received national recognition for the wildfire prevention and mitigation work he carried out in our district over the past two decades. The Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Committee recently awarded Chief Benson a prestigious 2026 Smokey Bear Certificate for his role as “a valuable community leader and educator.” 

You can read the press release about the award here: https://www.stateforesters.org/newsroom/wildfire-prevention-partners-announce-2026-smokey-bear-awardees/

To Chief Benson, from all of us, bravo! And thank you for your service.