McGuire firefighters Legislators consider shifting Cal Fire seasonal to year-round

Last month, while the embers of the Palisades, Eaton and the other Los Angeles County wildfires were cooling, Senate President proTempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) and a bipartisan coalition introduced the “Fight for Firefighters Act.”

This bill, Senate Bill 581, would convert all of Cal Fire’s seasonal firefighters to full-time staff. It is estimated that there are about 3,000 seasonal firefighters who would go from 9-month employment to 12-months, thus increasing firefighters to about 9,000 year-round. The estimated cost is $175 to $185 million. Currently SB 581 is with the Senate’s Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee.

“More aggressive fires, and an unrelenting year-round wildfire season, demands more aggressive responses,” said McGuire in the press release announcing the introduction of the bill. “Wildfires don’t take three months off. So the elite CalFire firefighting force that is our first and last defense in protecting lives and homes across the state should be year-round too. This investment will make communities more wildfire safe and greatly improve fire and emergency response in every corner of California.”

Besides shifting the seasonal firefighters to full-time status, SB 581 would ensure that all 356 CalFire fire engines would be fully operational 365 days per year.

All of CalFire’s 38 vegetation management crews would be fully operational throughout the year. These vegetation management crews focus on fire prevention and develop fire breaks around neighborhoods, remove dead and dying trees, and create defensible space in the cities and towns, according to McGuire’s press release.

The fourth benefit, according to McGuire, is CalFire’s helicopter bases will be fully staffed year-round.

“We know the risks for firefighters don’t end when the embers go out,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Elizabeth Brown. She is stationed in Highland as part of the San Bernardino Unit and is a officer of Cal Fire’s Local 2881

“There are ongoing physical and mental health challenges that affect firefighters long after they respond to a disaster. The longer fire crews go without any relief, the greater the potential for long term harm. Having more firefighters available provides relief and takes some of the pressure off,” Brown continued. “The year-round firefighters this bill provides will not only be able to support communities in times of disaster, but will also have the backs of their fellow firefighters as well.”

While several other Democratic legislators accompanied McGuire, they were also joined by several Republican leaders, including the Minority Leader Brian Jones (R-San Diego) who commented, “We have much more work to do, but this bill is a critical first step to giving our firefighters the job stability and support they need and deserve.”

Although there is much support for this action, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 2538 last September. This would have authorized extending seasonal Cal Fire appointments to longer than 9 months in a consecutive 12-month period to address emergency fire conditions and personnel shortages.

AB 2538 had almost unanimous support in both the Assembly and Senate, Newsom, who supported the concept, nevertheless opposed the bill. “This bill is therefore unnecessary. Additionally, this bill raises challenging questions about its compatibility with Article VII, Section 5 of the California Constitution, which provides generally that a temporary appointment may be made in the absence of an employment list, and no person may serve in one or more positions under a temporary appointment for longer than 9 months in a consecutive 12-month period,” he wrote in his veto message.

This objection is obviated by converting the temporary firefighters to full-time.