Although he was with the district for just two years, Jeff Piechura — affectionately known as Chief Pie — left a lasting impression on those he worked with at the Sedona Fire District.
And now, his SFD brothers and sisters are joined by firefighters throughout the state and nation mourning the death of Piechura and pilot Matthew Miller, who were killed on Saturday, July 10, while helping to battle the 734-acre Cedar Basin Fire, located 14 miles east of Wikieup.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, Miller, 48, and Air Tactical Group Supervisor Piechura, 62, were on board a Beechcraft King Air C-90 aircraft, conducting visual reconnaissance and aviation command and control over the fire, then only about 300 acres, when their plane went down. Miller was a fire pilot with Falcon Executive Aviation Inc., contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. Piechura was an employee with the Coronado National Forest. Their remains were recovered from the accident site.
The Department of Interior Office of Aviation Services, in conjunction with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, are investigating the accident.
The news of Piechura’s death came as a shock and sadness to those he worked with at SFD.
“Jeff Piechura was an exceptional person and dedicated public servant for more than 40 years,” said Kris Kazian, SFD’s former chief who served with Piechura. “He was a mentor, a leader, a visionary and a friend. His two years at Sedona Fire District helped us all grow more than we will ever know. He had a way about how he engaged with people, related to everyone and had a huge impact in the Arizona fire service and beyond.”
Kazian said just days before the accident he had an opportunity to talk to Piechura.
“He will be dearly missed and my thoughts are with his wife and children,” he added.
Like Kazian, Jayson Coil, SFD’s current assistant chief, said he learned a great deal during his time serving with Piechura.
“Chief Piechura reminded me that true leadership was about actions that achieve the mission and that it was ignoble to focus on trivial matters or to engage in actions designed to feed your ego through power and position authority,” he said. “Pie provided peace and alignment toward the mission when chaos and half measures were the norm. He made the organization better, the service better and me better. I will miss him.”
Battalion Chief Eric “Buzz” Lechowski said the impact Piechura had on him both personally and professionally is hard to measure and knows many others feel the same way.
“His fingerprints are present all around us in the Arizona fire service and here in Sedona specifically,” he said. “He was a builder, a connector, a peacemaker, and could see to the root of problems beyond the noise and personalities guiding people toward solutions. He sought to model and build the next generation. His legacy is both deep and wide and I’m honored to have been near him and proud to carry on what I’ve learned from him.”
Former SFD Governing Board member Tim Ernster sat on the interview panel when Piechura was hired in 2016.
“His experience, management skills and communication talents were very impressive and the Sedona Fire District was very fortunate to have hired such a well-qualified person,” he said. “It is such a tragedy that he lost his life in service to our state, and a huge loss to all of us. Jeff will be missed. It is a very sad day for all of us who knew him.”
Just prior to his departure from SFD in 2018 after accepting a job in Tucson, where he spent the majority of his career, Piechura told the Sedona Red Rock News that he was going to look back on his time with SFD with great fondness.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Chief [Kris] Kazian, as well as everyone in this organization,” he said. “We love it here, and I will definitely miss the colleagues and people I’ve met over the last two years. There are truly some great souls here.”
He echoed those thoughts during his final SFD board meeting.
“These last two years have been amazing, and thank you so much for allowing me to serve and be part of an organization that truly works hard daily and prepares itself for the tasks at hand,” he said. “I will tell you the Sedona Fire District membership and the organization is nimble, agile and resilient. These people want to learn new things that are best practice. They want to excel while protecting and serving the community members.”
