Personal Summary

Charlie worked for nearly twenty years as a wildland firefighter, in a variety of different capacities and with three different federal agencies: the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  He spent ten years of his fire career with the Missoula Smokejumpers, based in Missoula, Montana. 

Between fire seasons, Charlie completed his BA, MA, Ed. S., and Ed. D. degrees at the University of Montana in Missoula. Dr. Palmer joined the University of Montana’s Department of Health and Human Performance in August of 2006, where he continues to teach and conduct research, primarily focusing upon human factors in wildland firefighting and other high risk occupations.  As a Professor at UM, he teaches several sport/performance psychology courses and an upper division ethics course. He also serves as the director of the Grizzly Sport Counseling and Performance Enhancement program.  In 2019, Palmer was named the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative at UM. Dr. Palmer is the author of Montana's Waldron Creek Fire: the 1931 Tragedy and the Forgotten Five, and also Fired Up!: The Optimal Performance Guide for Wildland Firefighters.  He also serves as host of the wildland firefighter focused podcast On The Line. 

Charlie has worked with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, helping them to understand how sport psychology can be of benefit to their overall performance. From 2000 to 2018, Charlie served as a consultant with Mission-Centered Solutions, helping to teach the Point of the Spear (L-380) and the All Hazard Incident Leadership (L-381) courses for fire managers around the world.   

Education

B. A.: Psychology, University of Montana

M. A.: School Psychology, University of Montana

Ed. S.: School Psychology, University of Montana

Ed. D.: Counselor Education, University of Montana

Courses Taught

HTH 475: Legal and Ethical Issues in the Exercise Professions

KIN 440: Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology

HHP 523: Case Studies in Sport Psychology

Teaching Experience

 Professor, Integrated Physiology and Athletic Training, University of Montana. 2006 to present

Research Interests

Figuring out why they could never fix the boat on Gilligan's Island

Projects

On The Line, a podcast for wildland firefighters

Selected Publications

• Montana's Waldron Creek Fire: The 1931 Tragedy and the Forgotten Five (2015). Charleston, SC: History Press
• Fired Up!  The Optimal Performance Guide for Wildland Firefighters (2007).  Minneapolis, MN: Birch Grove.

Publications

• Moody, V. J., Purchio, T. J., & Palmer, C. G. (2019). Descriptive analysis of injuries and illnesses self-reported by wildland firefighters. International Journal of Wildland Fire. Published online 16 May 2019.
• Palmer, C. G. (2017-present). On The Line [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from www.ontheline.libsyn.com.
• Ferguson, M. D., Semmens, E. O., Weiler, E., Domitrovich, J. D., French, M., Migliaccio, C., Palmer, C. G., Dumke, C. D., & Ward, T. (2017). Lung function measures following simulated wildland firefighter exposures. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 14(9), 739-748.
• Palmer, C. G. (2015). Montana’s Waldron Creek Fire: The 1931 Tragedy and the Forgotten Five.  History Press and Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC.
• Domitrovich, J., Mangan, A., Sondag, A., Gaskill, S., & Palmer, C. G. (2015). A Needs Assessment: Barriers to Wildland Firefighter Fitness Training. A report prepared for the National Wildfire Coordinating Group Risk Management Committee.
• Palmer, C. G. (2014). Stress and coping in wildland firefighting dispatchers.  Journal of Emergency Management, 12(4), 303-314.
• McDonald, L., Burek, N., Palmer, C. G., & Stewart, C. (2014). Bureau of Land Management (BLM) RFQ 770017 BLM Aviation Program Evaluation.  US Government Printing Office.
• McNamara, M. L., Semmens, E. O., Gaskill, S. E., Palmer, C. G., Noonan, C. W., & Ward, T. L. (2012).  Base Camp Personnel Exposure to Particulate Matter During Wildland Fire Suppression Activities.  Journal of Occupational & Environmental Hygiene, 9(3), 149-156.
• Palmer, C. G. (2012).  Should I stay or should I go.  Smokejumper Magazine, 75, p. 23.
• Palmer, C. G., Gaskill, S. E., Domitrovich, J., McNamara, M., Knutson, B., & Spear, A. (2011).  Wildland firefighters and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  IN Proceedings of the second conference on the human dimensions of wildland fire.  McCaffrey, S. M. & Fisher, C. L. (Eds).  Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-84.  Newton Square, PA: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 195 p.
• “Aerobic fitness characteristics of U. S. smokejumpers.” (2010).  Domitrovich, J. W., Gaskill, S. E., Sharkey, B., & Palmer, C. G. Northwest College of Sports Medicine, Portland, OR., March 2010.
• Hipke, E. (Producer) & Hipke, E. (Director). (2010). Century of Fire: 2010 Fireline Safety Refresher Training [DVD]. United States: WFSTAR Productions.
• “Stress and Incident Management Teams.” (2009). Palmer, C. G., Miller, T., Gaskill, S. E., and Domitrovich, J.  IN Extended Abstracts from The ’88 Fires: Yellowstone and Beyond.   Tall Timbers Research Station No. 16.

• Carboxyhemoglobin values in wildland firefighters.” (2009).  Gaskill, S. E., Palmer, C. G., Spear, A., Knutson, B., & McNamara, M.  American College of Sports Medicine.

•  “Stress Relief.”  (2008, March/April). Wildfire, p. 10-15.  Sharkey, B., Miller, T., & Palmer, C. G.
•  Palmer, C. G., Miller, T., Gaskill, S., & Domitrovich, J. (2008). Stress and Coping Within Incident Management Teams.  IN Extended Abstracts from the 10^th Wildland Fire Safety Summit: 10 Years After the TriData Study: What is Different?, 4/27-30/2009, Phoenix, Arizona, M. Robinson compiler. International Association of Wildland Fire, 87 pp.
• Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Report  (2008, Spring, 12).  Lieberg, E., Gaskill, S., & Palmer, C. G. Missoula, MT. MTDC  
• Wildland Firefighting and its Impacts Upon the Personal Relationships of Firefighters.  Palmer, C. G., Gaskill, S., & Miller, A. (2007).  IN Extended Abstracts from the Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference, 10/23-25, 2007, Fort Collins, Colorado, S. McCaffrey, P. Woodward, M. Robinson, compilers.  International Association of Wildland Fire, 137 pp.
• Fired Up!  The Optimal Performance Guide for Wildland Firefighters (2007).  Minneapolis, MN: Birch Grove.
• “Wildland Firefighters and Injury Recovery,” In Butler, B. W. & Alexander, M. E. Eds. 2005 Eighth International Wildland Firefighter Safety Summit: Human Factors-10 Years Later: April 26-28, 2005 Missoula, MT.  The International Association of Wildland Fire, Hot Springs, SD.
• “Big Ernie,” Wildland Firefighter, January/February 2003, Volume 6, Number 9, p. 18-20.
• “Jumpers From the North,” Smokejumper Magazine, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, January 2003, Issue 38, p. 13.  (This story was also published in Northern Region News, Issue 2, Summer 2002; and Wildland Firefighter, June 2002, Volume 6, Number 2, p. 28-30).
• “Parallels,” Smokejumper Magazine, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, April 2002, Issue 35, p. 41.
• “An Interview with John MacLean,” Smokejumper Magazine, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, October 2001, Issue 33, p. 11-16.
• “Counseling Interventions for Children with Disruptive Behaviors (co-author with Drs. Rita and John Sommers-Flanagan),” The Mental Health Desk Reference, 2001, p. 205-212, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
• “Christmas Feast in August,” Under Fire: The West is Burning, 2001, p. 147-159, Billngs, Montana: Fenske Companies.
• “Smokejumping at the Dawn of the New Millenium,” Smokejumper Magazine, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, January 2000, Issue 26, p. 30-31.
• “Addiction to Fire,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, January 1999, Volume 1, Edition 6, p. 12-13.
• “Rams and Rounds,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, October 1998, Volume 4, Edition 5, p. 18.
• “Women Smokejumpers,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, July 1998, Volume 3, Edition 5, p. 13.
• “The History of Sewing with the Missoula Smokejumpers,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, April 1998, Volume 2, Edition 5, p. 6.
• “American Indian Smokejumpers,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, January 1998, Volume 1, Edition 5, p. 6.
• “The Summer of 1997,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, October 1997, Volume 4, Edition 4, p. 9.
• “Smokejumpers Return to Mann Gulch,” The Static Line, National Smokejumper Association, Missoula, Montana, July 1997, Volume 3, Edition 4, p. 13-14.

Professional Experience

Human Factors Consultant, Mission-Centered Solutions. January 2000 to 2018

Draft Evaluator, New York Football Giants, January 2002 to January 2005

United States Forest Service Smokejumper, Missoula, Montana. 1995-2004

Bureau of Land Management Firefighter, Miles City, Montana. 1989-1994

Hobbies

Youth sport coach for basketball, football, and baseball

Chasing my kids around for their sports

Speyfishing for steelhead