Calif. Legislation Would Increase Firefighting Efforts

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(TNS) — A California State Senator has proposed legislation to increase firefighting and prevention efforts in the state after winter wildfires caused devastating destruction in Los Angeles County.

Earlier this month, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire with support from fellow senators, announced the Fight for Firefighters Act. The proposal would help combat the safety threats to local communities as well as addressing a staffing model at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that legislators say has stretched firefighters thin throughout the state.

According to Senator McGuire’s office, the plan calls for the state to phase out seasonal Cal Fire firefighters who typically work about nine months of the year. The roughly 3,000 firefighters who are typically laid off during the winter months would transition to full-time status.

The proposal also calls for Cal Fire’s 38 vegetation management crews and for all 356 Cal Fire fire engines to be fully operational year-round. The proposal would also ensure that all Cal Fire helicopter bases are fully staffed year-round.

According to McGuire, the investment would make communities more wildfire safe and improve emergency response as more aggressive fires and a year-round wildfire season demands a more aggressive response.

The proposal stated it would cost an estimated $175-$185 million annually to fund the proposed changes.

Cal Fire declined to comment on the proposal stating the agency cannot speak about legislative matters.

The agency said it is allocated 12,552 positions of various work types and responsibilities throughout the state. Of those positions, 6,773 are permanent incident response type positions. Additionally, the agency employs 3,530 seasonal employees.

Cal Fire said it employs seasonal firefighters year-round with the agency traditionally utilizing the majority of seasonal firefighters from mid March through mid December, what the agency considers the peak fire season. From mid December through mid March, a reduced number of seasonal firefighters work as base staffing or full-time year-round staffing, the agency said.

Historically, wildland firefighting has been a seasonal job across jurisdictions, the agency said, with the winter months typically being a time of less fire activity. Because of this Cal Fire said it was not only appropriate but also fiscally responsible to have a smaller workforce.

Even though mid March through mid December has been defined as fire season in the past, the agency said it recognizes that there is no longer a fire season but rather year-round threat.

In an emailed statement to the Merced Sun-Star, Mariposa County Board of Supervisor Chairperson Rosemarie Smallcombe, said she is in support of the proposed legislative act.

“I support the Fight for Firefighters Act because fire season is year-round, and we need firefighters staffed full-time to protect communities across California,” Smallcombe said. “This year, CAL FIRE received an emergency exception allowing all 11 state facilities to be staffed instead of the usual two, underscoring the urgent need for year-round protection.”

The 11 state facilities are part of the Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit or MMU, covering areas of the three counties.

Smallcombe went on to say “having CAL FIRE available to fight wildfires throughout the state is critical, especially as wildfire risk continues to grow. It’s essential that CAL FIRE has the necessary resources to protect our state and its residents.”

In July of 2024, the French Fire burned 908 acres in Mariposa County destroying 11 structures. Four firefighters were injured battling the wildfire which fire officials said was started on July 4, due to the improper usage of a lawn mower in dry annual grass. In 2022, the Oak Fire burned a total of 19,244 acres and destroyed 193 structures in Mariposa County. Three firefighters were injured battling the fire.

Two firefighters died while battling the Ferguson Fire which started in Mariposa County on July 13, 2018, and burned a total of 96,901 acres. On July 14, 2018, Cal Fire firefighter and dozer operator Braden Varney, 36, was killed when the vehicle he was operating overturned along sloping terrain. Captain Brian Hughes, 33, of the National Park Service Arrowhead Hotshot agency, was killed on July 29, 2018, while he and other crew members worked to remove standing dead trees in an effort to prevent the wildfire from spreading.

Fire officials said an investigation into the cause of the Ferguson Fire revealed the blaze was caused by overheated pieces of a catalytic converter.

The 2017 Detwiler Fire burned a total of 81,826 acres in Mariposa County and destroyed more than 130 structures. Fire officials said the fire was caused by a firearm discharge.

Eight members of the Merced City Fire Department were deployed in January, to assist with firefighting efforts as multiple wildfires devastated parts of southern California. The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires began burning in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7. The latest Cal Fire reports indicate the Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres resulting in 12 civilian deaths, three civilian injuries, one firefighter injury and 6,833 structures destroyed. The Eaton Fire burned a total of 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 structures. Cal Fire has reported 17 civilian deaths and nine firefighter injuries in connection with the incident. The Hurst Fire burned a total of 799 acres, according to Cal Fire.