Help Tom Plymale beat cancer

Tom recently found out he has stage 4 cancer which has spread to other organs.  Tom will never ask for help; however, his medical costs are quickly adding up. Tom, his wife Beth and their children have a long battle ahead of them.  Tom started chemotherapy today (4/12/2021) and these funds will help the family immensely. 

Tom dedicated 34 years to the United States Forest Service. During his career, Tom traveled the nation managing wildland fires.  He spent 2 years in Region 9, 2 years on the Sequoia National Forest and many years as a Chief Officer and as Superintendent of the Ventana Hotshots on the Los Padres National Forest.  His accomplishments with the crew and Forest Service are incredible and will stand the test of time.  Although Tom retired in April of 2018, he has maintained a strong presence in the wildland community.  He currently serves as a Technical Specialist and a SOF2 on many incidents throughout the nation.   During the 2020 Fire season Tom deployed with CA IMT15 multiple times to which he added his wildland expertise to the team. It is not only the wildland community that has benefited from Tom Plymale’s fire and leadership experience.  In 2020 Tom was a major factor in the success of FDNY’s management of the Dolan Fire.  He utilized his knowledge and skills to integrate their personnel and developed relationships between the FDNY and the Los Padres National Forest that are still nurtured today.  Tom is an amazing human and has served as a pillar of leadership on the Los Padres National Forest, where he continues to provide mentorship today. 

Countless friends, colleagues and previous employees of Tom have reached out asking where they can send letters.  If you would like to drop a note, letter, postcard or share a special memory with Tom and his family, please contact:
[email redacted] dot com (we have to post it this way- you get the idea) and I will share an address where you can mail your memories and share the love.