State has never been better prepared to meet wildfire season
In early season fires, major changes to emergency operations and sheltering have been made to protect firefighters and evacuees
MCCLELLAN PARK – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom visited McClellan Air Force Base to highlight the state’s wildfire mitigation capabilities and discuss new efforts to protect emergency personnel and evacuees from COVID-19 during wildfires. The Governor also announced the state would hire 858 more firefighters and six California Conservation Corps (CCC) crews through October because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor was joined at McClellan by CAL FIRE Chief Thom Porter and CAL OES Director Mark Ghilarducci.
“Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the State of California hasn’t taken its eye off the threat of wildfire,” said Governor Newsom. “California is better prepared against the threat of wildfire today than at any time in our history. Even in a challenging budget climate, we have undertaken major action and made significant investments to fortify our state and help fight increasingly severe wildfires.”
In the past year and a half, California has taken major action and made critical investments to fortify wildfire preparedness and response capabilities. CAL FIRE completed the last of its 35 emergency fuels management projects in May, making 90,000 acres safer ahead of wildfire season and protecting 200 vulnerable communities.
Major investments include augmenting CAL FIRE air fleet with new FIREHAWK S-70i helicopters and C-130 airplanes, and bolstering firefighting surge capacity and pre-positioning capabilities. The state also launched an Innovation Procurement Sprint to develop early warning technologies and place fire detection cameras across the state. This year’s budget included $85.6 million in new, ongoing dollars to fund permanent firefighting positions, and continues the funding for CAL FIRE to procure innovative technology that allows us to model fire behavior.
Ahead of wildfire season, the state won critical safety victories from PG&E to make the utility more accountable to the state and ensure wildfire safety and reliability are top priorities. The state gained new oversight authority over wildfire and public safety power shutoffs and increased safety expertise inside the company. The Governor also signed SB 350, which enacted real consequences if the company doesn’t act safely – up to and including a company takeover. The state bolstered requirements for all of the state’s investor-owned utilities’ wildfire prevention operational plans and requires utilities to invest $5 billion in infrastructure. All three large IOUs have taken steps to reduce the size and scope of public safety power shutoffs by hardening infrastructure, reducing hazards through vegetation management, sectionalizing the grid so that smaller areas can be taken offline, and improving weather monitoring technology and modeling.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CAL FIRE has adjusted firefighting operations to mitigate the spread of the virus within its own crews by holding virtual briefings and keeping non-essential base camp staff off site. CDSS and CAL OES have updated mass care and sheltering protocols to include health screenings, dedicated cleaning staff and medical professionals on site.
“Wildfire season this year carries an extra layer of danger as the state responds to the spread of fires and the ongoing heath pandemic,” said Chief Porter. “It is of the utmost importance that we keep our crews healthy so they can continue their work and that we adjust evacuation and shelter plans to protect communities from the spread of COVID-19.”
All new sheltering protocols require:
- Health screening on entry
- Dedicated cleaning staff at all sites
- Pre-packaged meals
- Medical and mental health professionals on site
In the event of an evacuation, the state is prepared to secure hotel rooms, college dormitories, Airbnb, fairgrounds, and campgrounds to allow individuals to shelter in non-congregate settings.
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