Source: US Department of Agriculture Blog (thanks to Carol McGuinn for altering the Forum to the news)
Chugach National Forest – The name and memory of Law Enforcement Officer Kristine Fairbanks has a lot of meaning for the FS, especially the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regions (Regions 6 and 10), the general law enforcement community and multiple other agencies as well. Kristine Fairbanks was a Forest Service LEO and a K9 handler in Region 6 who lost her life in the line of duty while on patrol in the Olympic NF on September 20, 2008. She was a 22-year veteran with the FS, with 20 years spent as an LEO and K9 officer. LEO Fairbanks spent time in Alaska as a K9 trainer and certifier on several occasions and assisted in training and certifying LEO/K9 teams in the FS and USFWS. Most of all, Kristine will be remembered as a wife, mother, friend, community leader and role model.
In 2011, Region 10 LEI embarked on the construction of a new patrol vessel (PV) that would serve the FS as one of two LEI patrol vessels in Prince William Sound. After careful consideration, Region 10 LEO’s decided to name the boat in memory of fallen Officer Kristine Fairbanks. With the approval of the Fairbanks family and Region 6, the boat was officially named the PV Kristine Fairbanks in her memory. The PV Kristine Fairbanks was designed to be safer, more efficient and meet the specific needs for marine work and extended patrols in Prince William Sound that encompasses a large portion of the 5.4 million acre Chugach NF. It will provide FS employees the ability to more efficiently patrol the over 3,500 miles of shoreline that includes 15 recreational use cabins, numerous guide and outfitter camps, and other recreational hotspots in Prince William Sound.
The PV Kristine Fairbanks will be a great asset that will help continue to build lasting relationships between Chugach NF employees, LEI personnel, and the cooperators and communities around Prince William Sound. Certainly, Kristine Fairbanks will be remembered by all who encounter the vessel as it patrols the coast along the Chugach NF.
