Ryan G. Christen – Owner / CEO, Fully Involved Fire, LLC

I am a disaster preparedness, response, and recovery expert with extensive experience leveraging the Incident Command System (ICS) to lead emergency management (EM) agencies and other public and private entities through crisis / disasters. I have a passion for conducting process analysis, identifying improvement opportunities, and implementing innovative strategies, as well as developing and delivering training programs and exercises. I also actively seek opportunities to develop and mentor the next generation of leaders and critical thinkers.

My 25+ years of experience have evolved me into a lifelong learner and versatile leader capable of managing multiple simultaneous projects in high-intensity non-linear workspaces. I consistently demonstrate exceptional capabilities functioning in long-term travel roles, remote support, and operating in austere conditions. My diverse skillset has been honed through overlapping fields combining formal education and real-world experience including:

  • 20 years of fire service experience (Retired as Battalion Chief and Special Operations Team Commander)
  • 20 years of business management and ownership
  • 15 years of consulting and project management

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (CAL OES)

RECOVERY COORDINATION ADVISOR

Provided on-location statewide support to Cal OES under numerous projects in a variety of capacities to include administrative/executive guidance, management of disaster operations, team leadership for special projects, and mentorship / training to build internal capacity and resiliency. Principal assignments and special projects include, but are not limited to: 


Operations / Deputy Operations Chief:

Coordinated state and federal agencies, staff, and resources within the Incident Command System (ICS) / National Incident Management System (NIMS). This included directing operational development of Incident Action Plans (IAP), Integrated Strategic Plans (ISP), and directly managing all operational program areas, geographic/functional branches, task forces, and Recovery Support Functions (RSFS) across California.

2024 Floods and Winter Storms:
(DR-4769) Presidential MDD; Ongoing recovery project for 9 impacted counties including the greater Los Angeles region and surrounding counties; First CA Tropical impact since 1939

2023 Hurricane Hilary Recovery:
(DR-4758) Presidential MDD; 8-month (approx.) recovery project for 5 impacted counties including the greater Los Angeles region and surrounding counties; First CA Tropical impact since 1939

2022 / 2023 Floods and Winter Storms:
(DR-4683 and 4699) Two concurrent Presidential MDDs; 18-month recovery project 8-month (approx.) recovery project for 54 of CA’s 58 counties; Largest CA flood / winter storm recovery in modern history.

2022 Humboldt Earthquake:
(State Gubernatorial Proclaimed Disaster) 8-month recovery project for a 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake.

2021 Statewide Wildfires:
(DR-4610 and 4619) Two concurrent Presidential MDDs; 10-month (approx.) recovery for XX counties; Multiple towns razed requiring complete restoration of infrastructure and stabilizing lifelines; First fires in recorded history to burn over the Sierra, and first Giga-fire in modern history.

2020 Statewide Wildfires:
(DR-4558 and 4469) Two concurrent Presidential MDDs; 10-month (approx.) recovery for XX counties; Multiple towns razed requiring complete restoration of infrastructure and stabilizing lifelines; Largest wildfire recovery in CA history.


Assistant Operations Chief, Response Advanced Planning Unit (APU):

Served as the Operations Lead for a new unit integrated into the State Operations Center (SOC) to coordinate state and federal agencies, staff, and resources during the preparedness and response phase of the 2022 / 2023 Floods and Winter Storms Response. In this role, Ryan Christen spent 28 straight days activated to the SOC to lead development of new tools and processes to inform statewide resource allocation based on flood inundation projections for a series of Atmospheric Rivers impacting the state.

  • Pioneered implementation of the newly formed APU in advance of the arrival of sever atmospheric rivers threatening the entire state
  • Identified real-time strategies for response planning and impact projection techniques memorialized into formal processes implemented on future incidents
  • Utilized APU tools and resource to inform pre-positioning of critical response and rescue assets to bolster community lifelines ahead of and during event impacts

The Cal OES APU is now a permanent active unit within the Response Directorate continuing to advance to mission pioneered during the initial APU activation for the 2022/2023 storms,


Los Angeles Mobile Homeless Connect (MHC) Project Lead / Executive Advisor

Facilitated an 8-month planning and operations project to develop and implement the pilot-program). Served as planning lead / coordinator, development advisor, and implementation field specialists to deliver support and service enrollment opportunities to the point of need. The MHC concept was initiated in response to an executive call to action from the Governor in response to the state homelessness crisis.

  • Coordinated State Agencies and resources to develop an operational strategy and IAP for the pilot program
  • Area lead on-site in Los Angeles to oversee field operations at three event sites
  • Project Lead and Author for Los Angeles MHC After-Action Report
  • Project Lead and Author for the State MHC Playbook to facilitate planning and implementation of future MHC events.
  • Project Lead and Co-Author of the MHC Concept of Operations (ConOps) to serve as a proof of concept and implementation model ahead of field testing.


Debris Operations Unit, Recovery Coordination Advisor:

As an Operations Specialists, Ryan Christen supported the Cal OES Debris Operations Unit to develop functional plans and process improvements. This included evaluation of operations processes to enhance Special inclusion procedures, contract change-order management, and debris and hazard tree removal efficiencies. In addition Ryan worked closely with the Environmental and Historic Preservation Unit to implement assessment and monitoring efficiencies.

  • Co-Author of the Cal OES Disaster Debris Management Plan (DDMP) (2021)
  • Primary author of 8 hazard-specific disaster debris management annexes
  • Primary author of the Crisis Decision-Making Playbook
  • Project lead and author, 2023 DDMP update based on State / FEMA policy revisions
  • Co-Author, Hazard Tree Removal SOG
  • Co-Author of the Special Inclusion Cost Reasonableness Methodology Process