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Ferguson Management Company History

Since 1981, Ferguson Management Company has grown to become one of the largest private fire contractors in the United States. FMC traditionally trains and educates firefighters, and boasts over 400 firefighters available to fight fire anywhere in the nation. FMC also provides full service fuels management work and emergency services response, such as the shuttle recovery effort in Texas.

Bruce and Barbara Ferguson founded Ferguson Management in 1981. FMC originally performed reforestation and general forestry work from its headquarters in Falls City, Oregon. In 1988, the Company moved to Albany, Oregon, where it remains today.

Over the next 23 years, the little company grew and expanded its reach from private land general forestry to a state and national level of wildland firefighting.

In 1988, FMC added firefighting to their services when it was selected as one of the first companies to participate in a new private sector wildland firefighting contract. FMC gained valuable experience fighting wildfires in state forests and on other state-protected land within Oregon.

The company’s reach expanded to the federal sector in 1994 when the federal government partnered with Oregon and Washington to establish the Region Six interagency wildland firefighting contract known as the Interagency Contract. This contract allowed private crews to fight fire on federal and state-owned lands within the Pacific Northwest.

1997 brought more change and more opportunity for FMC. Demand for private resources for wildland firefighting grew as federal and state agencies downsized and the number and severity of forest fires increased. At that point, FMC shifted its focus from reforestation and general forestry to wildland firefighting and fuels manipulation.

In August 2000, severe wildland fires and dwindling agency firefighting resources spurred the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), under the Clinton Administration, to establish a national contract to allow hiring of private wildland firefighting contract companies. NIFC selected 50 crews and 80 engines to participate in the national contract, all of which could be dispatched anywhere in the country. Ferguson Management was awarded 11 of the 50 national crew contracts and eight of the 80 national engine contracts.

Today, FMC corporate headquarters are in Albany, Oregon. They also have national dispatch offices in Pendleton, Oregon, Idaho Falls, Idaho, They also have 6 regional dispatch locations in Oregon and Washington.


FMC thrives as a family owned-company. The management team is linked both by blood and friendship.

Bruce Ferguson
President

Barbara Ferguson
Board Member

Tina Ferguson Gahagan
Executive Secretary
Administration Director

Mike Husted
Operations Manager

 

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