From day 1, Governor Newsom declared California’s firefighters and wildfire resilience as a top priority of his administration. And California and partners continue to deliver nation-leading results. Since taking office, the Governor has committed more resources and investments than ever before to significantly boost wildfire response capabilities while tackling root causes of the wildfire crisis head-on. Here are the top 5 things to know about California’s progress on protecting people and communities from wildfire:

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1. Historic Investments Making Big Impacts Statewide

Invested $2.5 billion: California has invested more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience since 2021 and the Governor is committing to invest an additional $1.5 billion from the 2024 voter-approved climate bond (known as Proposition 4).

Doubled CAL FIRE resources: To support more effective wildfire response, CAL FIRE nearly doubled its fire protection staff since 2019 from 5,829 to 10,741 positions, and nearly doubled its fire protection budget from $2 billion to $3.8 billion. 

Added 2,400 firefighters: The Governor’s proposed investments will add 2,400 new firefighters to CAL FIRE’s firefighting force over the next five years. 

Boosted Cal OES: Since 2019, the budget of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), a key agency in responding to and rebuilding after fires, increased from $1.8 billion to $3.1 billion, and its staffing grew from 1,139 to 1,879 positions.


2. On the Ground in California's Wildlands: Unprecedented Results in Record Time

Launched 2,200 projects: These historic investments continue to pay off. More than 2,200 landscape health and fire prevention projects are underway, and from 2021-2023, the state and its partners treated nearly 1.9 million acres, including nearly 730,000 acres in 2023.  

Nearly doubled prescribed fire: Prescribed fire treatments nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023. Federal, state, and local agencies completed 260,000 acres of prescribed fire treatments in 2023.

Created emergency teams: State and federal partners have established 15 Emergency Forest Restoration Teams (EFRTs) across the state to rapidly restore private forestlands after fires.

Awarded $500 million to forest health: Since 2021, CAL FIRE has committed more than $500 million in support of 150 wildfire and forest resilience projects through its Forest Health Grant Program

Built local capacity: The Department of Conservations’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) program has awarded more than $140 million to communities across the state to create fire adapted communities and landscapes. 

Promoted tribal projects: CAL FIRE awarded $25.7 million in 2023 and 2024 for 18 projects to help California Native American tribes manage ancestral lands and promote wildfire resilience.


3. New Tools Increase Transparency and Show Progress in Action

Innovative tools for tracking progress: The Governor’s Task Force launched an Interagency Treatment Dashboard to display completed federal, state, local, and private vegetation management projects across the state. The Dashboard, launched in 2023, provides transparency, tracks progress, facilitates planning, and informs firefighting efforts.

Documenting effectiveness: See for yourself. CAL FIRE’s Fuels Treatment Effectiveness Dashboard spotlights and documents how recent wildfire resilience projects are protecting communities and landscapes when wildfire strikes. Examples of effective resilience projects include the Loafer Creek LLC Vegetation Management Project, where prescribed fires and forest health treatments slowed the 2024 Park Fire and the Starchman Fuel Break Project that reduced the rate of spread of the 2024 French Fire, enabling fire crews to extinguish it.


4. Protecting Neighborhoods and Empowering Communities to Join the Movement

Awarded $450 million for wildfire prevention: Since 2019, CAL FIRE has awarded more than $450 million for 450 wildfire prevention projects across the state, and conducts Defensible Space Inspections on more than 250,000 homes each year.

Protecting homes: CAL FIRE established a new California Wildfire Mitigation Assistance Program to coordinate regional and local efforts with state policies, strategies, and programs for community wildfire mitigation, including a home hardening initiative that will provide funding for defensible space and ignition resistant retrofits to approximately 2,400 homes. 

Providing smoke updates: CARB’s California Smoke Spotter mobile app and Prescribed Fire Information Reporting System provide real-time information on smoke impacts from wildfires and prescribed burns. 


5. Leading the Future of Fire: Expanding Capacity and Leveraging Technology to Tackle Wildfire

In addition to ramping up state work to increase landscape and community resilience, the Governor has substantially increased funding and staffing levels at CAL FIRE and Cal OES to improve the state’s ability to track, fight, and recover from fires.  

Increased firefighting capacity: CAL FIRE has enhanced its firefighting capabilities with 16 state of the art helicopters (FireHawks) and 7 C-130 tankers. And since 2019, CAL FIRE has added 55 type III engines, for a total of 398. Cal OES has added 106 engines to its fleet, for a total of 261.

• Utilizing AI to detect fires: CAL FIRE partnered with UC San Diego to support the development of ALERTCalifornia which utilizes AI to identify and monitor wildfires. ALERTCalifornia was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023.

Integrated fire forecasting: In 2021, Cal OES and CAL FIRE established the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center, in collaboration with the California Military Department and California Public Utilities Commission, to serve as the state’s central organizing hub for wildfire forecasting and coordination of wildfire threat intelligence and data sharing.

Leveraging technology for fire response: CAL FIRE and Cal OES have also invested heavily in drones, satellite technology for advanced mapping, and AI-powered tools to spot fires quicker, and a Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) to provide real-time mapping of wildfires.


Read More About California's Wildfire Resilience Progress