John Vial’s official title is Director for the Roads and Parks Department for Jackson County. Ever since the Almeda Fire swept through the valley John was reassigned to be the Director of Emergency Operations Center. As a southern Oregon native, John had never seen a natural disaster on the scale of the Almeda fire before. Two priorities of the rebuilding process are housing individuals and cleaning up the debris, two tasks that will require patience and compassion during tough times. We here at Rosebud salute John and the rest of his team during these trying times.