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Perimeter Solutions hires new agency liaison

Jan. 30, 2024, Clayton, Mo. – Perimeter Solutions has hired Jim Karels as its new agency liaison.

Karels has worked in wildland fire and forest management for more than 45 years, spending parts of his career with the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Florida Forest Service, the company said in a press release.

He is joining Perimeter Solutions from the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), where he served as the national fire director.

He succeeds Ron Raley, who served in the role from 2004 until his retirement in 2023.

Milestones from Karels’ career include serving as the original steering committee chair for the Complex Incident Management Course for Florida, a role he held for ten years.

The processes they implemented for complex incident management during his tenure are still used today. In 2013, he led the investigation into the Yarnell (Arizona) Fire that killed 19 firefighters.

More recently, he served on a policy group that collaborated with the USFS to develop more effective burn policies following the 2022 wildfire season.

As agency liaison, Karels will be the face of the organization to fire management agencies around the world. Building on relationships he has built within the industry over the years, he is expected to educate agencies on the advantages of Perimeter Solutions’ wildland fire fighting products and services.