Plans for protecting California this fire season

Wildfires are always on the mind of those who call California home. Last year was the worst fire season on record, surpassing previous devastating years. In January 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $1-billion budget to protect Californian’s from the devastation of wildfires. This is also known as the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. 
The goal behind this plan is to complete projects on 500,000 acres annually between now and 2025. How that is done depends on the topography, risks and conditions of each individual area, but it will all be to prevent the likelihood of devastating wildfires before they can start in the first place. Part of those project plans would be taking actions like creating fuel breaks around communities that are more vulnerable to wildfires and helping create better defensible space and preparedness planning before the season arrives. 
On March 30, Newsom said, “In California, climate change is making the hots hotter and the dries drier, leaving us with world record-breaking temperatures and devastating wildfires threatening our communities.”
Newsom approved $80.74 million through Emergency Fund authorization. This will allow nearly 1,400 firefighters with Cal Fire to manage and plan the clearance of heavy fuels and be the boots on the ground when the next wildfire strikes. An additional 24 seasonal firefighters through the California National Guard will help support Cal Fire’s fuels management work.
“We aren’t just waiting for the next crisis to hit — this funding will support our heroic firefighters to save lives as they work to prevent and tackle destructive wildfires,” Newsom said.
With this Emergency Funding, there will also be 1,256 seasonal firefighters who will provide eight understaffed crews with the staff they need to handle the heavy response when the season hits. In addition, 12 new Cal Fire crews will be created as well as six seasonal and six new permanent Conservation Corps crews.
A big part of wildfire fighting is air attack, including all the behind-the-scene efforts that come with doing it successfully. With this Emergency Funding, 119 firefighters will be trained and added to the air attack fleet by May 2021.
According to the press release, this includes the orientation and operations of the new S-70i helicopter to operate from four Cal Fire helitack bases. There will be improvement on the technology to support incident base camp operations and improvements to website traffic management, which will improve transparency and accuracy of information for the public.
The press release reads: “Building on significant investments in the state’s firefighting capabilities, the Governor’s budget also proposes $143 million General Fund to support 30 new fire crews, and also includes $48 million to continue phasing in the S-70i helicopters and large air tankers.”
With fire season right around the corner, preparation is always the best solution to potential pro