Governor Newsom proclaims Wildfire Preparedness Week as state doubles down on wildfire readiness

As Trump guts federal wildfire programs nationwide, California deploys record firefighting force, cutting-edge technology, and fast-tracked forest resilience projects

What you need to know: Governor Newsom proclaimed May 3-9 as Wildfire Preparedness Week - calling on all Californians to stay vigilant and prepared year-round as the state continues to deploy the most prepared, best-equipped firefighting force in the world to meet that threat. Meanwhile, new NPR reporting shows the Trump administration treated nearly 1.5 million fewer acres for wildfire prevention in 2025 than the last year of the Biden administration, including a near-50% drop in prescribed burns.

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed May 3-9, 2026, as Wildfire Preparedness Week, highlighting the state's record investments in wildfire prevention while also calling on Californians to get ready, stay informed, and help protect their homes, loved ones, and communities. Since taking office in 2019, Governor Newsom has transformed the state's wildfire response: fast-tracking critical wildfire safety projects nationwide, investing in critical emergency preparedness programs, and building the world's premier firefighting force and mutual aid system.

Meanwhile, new NPR reporting shows the Trump administration treated nearly 1.5 million fewer acres for wildfire prevention in 2025 than the last year of the Biden administration, including a near-50% drop in prescribed burns.

Climate change is fueling more extreme weather and the kind of dangerous conditions that can turn a single spark into a catastrophe. There's no off-season for wildfire, and this administration will never have an off-season for preparedness. While Donald Trump is weakening wildfire readiness and response efforts across the country, California continues to do the hard work. We're asking every Californian to stay vigilant and ready.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

PROCLAMATION

California experiences thousands of wildfires each year, burning thousands, even millions, of acres and impacting communities across the state. Over the past seven years, we've advanced historic investments to step up forest management and other projects that decrease catastrophic wildfire risk, nearly doubled CAL FIRE's budget, and built the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world, supplemented by other state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and technology.

But wildfire safety is a shared responsibility. Residents, businesses, community organizations, local governments, fire agencies, and land management partners each play a vital role in strengthening community resilience and reducing wildfire impacts. Hundreds of thousands of acres are treated annually through fuel reduction projects and prescribed fire, reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfire across the state. Measures such as creating and maintaining defensible space, reducing hazardous vegetation, and hardening homes improve firefighters' ability to safely defend structures, slow fire spread, and reduce wildfire intensity as they move through communities.

Mitigation and preparedness actions taken before a wildfire occurs can directly reduce loss of life, improve firefighter and public safety, and increase the likelihood that homes and neighborhoods can withstand wildfire impacts tomorrow. Developing an evacuation plan, assembling emergency supply kits, home hardening, and staying informed through local alerts-this proactive planning can give individuals and families the time, clarity, and confidence needed to evacuate early and safely when wildfires threaten.

This year's theme, "Prepare Today, Protect Tomorrow: Your Role in California's Wildfire Safety," encourages people to empower themselves with a plan in case of fire. During Wildfire Preparedness Week, all Californians are encouraged to prepare today to protect tomorrow, including by visiting ReadyForWildfire.org to learn about steps we can take to prepare for wildfire season and help prevent loss of life and property. Together, we can create a more fire-resilient California.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State

Places to get prepared

Every Californian has a role to play in wildfire preparedness - here's how to get started:

• Sign up for local emergency alerts to keep you and your loved ones informed at ready.ca.gov/alerts. When you sign up, you can choose how to get alerts sent to you, including cell phone, home phone, email and text.

• Check out Readyforwildfire.org, for wildfire preparedness tips like creating a wildfire action plan, how to create a defensible space and expert advice to stay one step ahead of wildfires.

• Visit Listos California for emergency preparedness resources in more than 15 languages including indigenous Mexican languages. Tools available on Listos California can help you and your family prepare ahead of time for several types of emergencies including wildfire and wildfire smoke.

California builds the world's most powerful firefighting force

Governor Newsom has transformed California's firefighting capacity from the ground up - investing billions to expand the workforce, opening new training academies, engaging young Californians for public service, and deploying the National Guard to keep communities safe year-round.

Historic investments- statewide
Since 2019, California has significantly expanded its firefighting capacity by investing in personnel, equipment, and training to protect communities from increasingly severe wildfires and extreme weather events. Under the Newsom administration, California's fire protection budget nearly doubled-from $2 billion to $3.8 billion and more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience and forest health projects. Governor Newsom and the Legislature have also invested over $350 million for wildfire safety projects on federal lands - which make up58% of California's forestlands. At the same time, the budget for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)-the state's leadership hub for responding to and rebuilding after major wildfires-increased from $1.8 billion to $4.5 billion.

Springs Incident in the CAL FIRE Riverside Unit, Riverside County. April, 2026. (Photo credit: CAL FIRE)

Building the world's best firefighting workforce
Since 2019, CAL FIRE has nearly doubled the number of fire protection workforce-growing from 5,829 to 11,436 positions. Over the past five years, Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, expanded CAL FIRE's firefighting workforce by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually-nearly double that of the previous administration. Last year, Governor Newsom launched a new recruitment effort to hire more firefighters and empower prospective applicants with comprehensive information about diverse career paths. For more information about career opportunities ranging from firefighting to land use planning and information technology, visit JoinCALFIRE.com.

Graduation of 38 CAL FIRE Company Officers from the Ione Training Center, the final class in a historic 2025 that saw California train over 650 Company Officers-shattering all previous records. (Photo credit: CAL FIRE)

Training the next generation of frontline leaders
In July 2025, California opened a new CAL FIRE training academy in Merced County, the Atwater Training Center to accommodate an expanding workforce. The new Atwater Training Center is the fourth addition to CAL FIRE academies, joining Ione, Redding, and Riverside. Academies specialize in leadership, aviation, and equipment operations programs. In October 2025, California celebrated the first graduation of Company Officers at the new Atwater Training Center. Company Officers are CAL FIRE's frontline leaders in emergency response and lead crews during emergencies and oversee readiness, training, and prevention efforts during non-emergency periods. In 2025 alone, CAL FIRE trained more than 650 new company officers. In 2026, CAL FIRE has graduated about 60 new company officers, and they're on track to reach over 600 by the end of the year.

The California Conservation Corps is a youth workforce development program dedicated to preparing young adults for meaningful careers and educational opportunities. (Photo credit: California Conservation Corps).

Investing in generations of leaders
California is actively engaging young people across the state through fellowships and career opportunities to fight wildfires and support forest management efforts. Year-round, young people in the California Conservation Corps (CCC) are working with CAL FIRE and partners to operate wildland firefighting handcrews, respond to natural disasters, and conduct essential forestry projects, including removing fire-prone vegetation. In 2025, CCC Corpsmembers supported wildfire, base camp support, and forest-health activities:

• CCC Fire crews were dispatched to 355 wildfire incidents statewide, including the Palisades and Eaton Fires in Los Angeles. CCC fire crews totaled 415,930 emergency response hours.

• CCC Corpsmembers assisted state and federal partners at base camp for 33 incidents in California, plus one out-of-state camp. There were 173 dispatches totaling 347,488 hours.

• Corpsmembers in the CCC Forestry Corps program reduced fire risk and improved forest health. Together, they treated 1,515 acres, removed 1,700 trees for fuel management, and planted 8,000 trees to support reforestation.

The Mount Hamilton Crew of Taskforce Rattlesnake, a wildland firefighting task force composed of California National Guard and California State Guard members, completed regular training at their armory and out on hilly terrain in San Jose, Calif., July 15-16, 2025 (Photo: Cal Guard)

Boots on the ground, eyes in the sky
The California National Guard's Joint Task Force Rattlesnake (JTFRS) enhances the state's readiness efforts before and during wildfires. Made up of over 400 CalGuard members who work under CAL FIRE, JTFRS deploys highly trained service members to support fuel mitigation projects, firefighting efforts, and community protection. Recently, in anticipation of peak wildfire season, JTFRS and partners engaged in their annual modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) training to battle wildfires from the sky.

California deploys cutting-edge technology to detect and fight wildfires

California continues to leverage its position as the global epicenter of technology to create first-of-a-kind innovations to help the state prepare and respond to wildfire threats. Under Governor Newsom's leadership, California has made major investments in drone, aircraft, satellite, and advanced mapping technologies to quickly identify and address evolving wildfires.

At a hangar in Sacramento, the Governor joined CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler and firefighting personnel to celebrate the second C-130H aircraft added to CAL FIRE's arsenal. (Photo credit: Governor's office)

Expanding the world's largest aerial firefighting fleet
California became the first state in the nation to own, operate, and deploy C-130H airtankers for wildfire suppression - and the fleet keeps growing. The state now operates three C-130H airtankers, with a fourth expected to enter service soon, as part of a planned fleet of seven. These large-capacity, highly specialized aircraft deliver significant volumes of fire retardant in a single mission, enhancing CAL FIRE's ability to protect communities and natural resources. These new C-130Hs will be strategically located at CAL FIRE bases throughout the state to mobilize when needed, adding to the helicopters, other aircraft, and firefighters ready to protect Californians. This follows California's leadership in utilizing innovation and technology to fight fires smarter, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), satellites, and more for wildfire detection, projection, and suppression.

Eyes on the fire
UC San Diego and the State of California partnered to develop ALERTCalifornia, a statewide network of over a thousand cameras to identify and monitor wildfires. ALERTCalifornia AI-Camera's have detected over 900 fires on state lands before 911 calls were made, and were named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2023.

Real-time intel
The first-in-the-nation Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) provides real-time aerial intelligence, advanced fire mapping, and predictive analytics to support wildfire response for every California County. Flying over 2,000 missions since the start of the program in 2019, FIRIS along with CAL FIRE's aerial intelligence platform, Intel 641, are critical assets to help identify real-time fire mapping within minutes of ignition.

Forecasting the threat
California's Wildfire Forecast & Threat Intelligence Integration Center (WFTIIC) is a first-of-its-kind center serving as the state's central hub for coordinating wildfire forecasting, weather intelligence, and fire threat assessments.

Mapping wildfire risk
Last year, California launched LiDAR (Light detection and ranging) three-dimensional maps of the entire state. LiDAR maps are the gold standard for finding forest and vegetation information, helping decision makers get a clear picture of the fuel load and wildfire risks.

World's first redwood forest observatory
California installed the first redwood forest observatory-two research towers in Jackson Demonstration State Forest that measure the inflow and outflow of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between redwoods and their environment. The flux towers provide a real-time understanding of how redwoods respond to changing environmental conditions, wildfire, and management. Within the next year, aggregated measurements will be processed for public use.

New strike team strengthens Los Angeles response
Cal OES assigned five new Type-6 fire engines to the Los Angeles City Fire Department, forming a strike team that can respond quickly in both urban and wildland areas. Type-6 engines are the smallest, most maneuverable units in the state fleet-typically four-wheel drive, carrying 300 gallons of water, and designed to reach steep, narrow, or remote locations. The engines are state-owned and prepositioned with the Los Angeles Fire Department through California's Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System. This means they can respond immediately to local incidents and deploy to other regions when mutual aid is requested. Cal OES manages a fleet of more than 270 state-owned fire engines assigned to over 60 local agencies statewide, ensuring every community can access coordinated emergency resources when disasters strike. Since 2019, Governor Newsom and the Legislature have invested in expanding and replacing these mutual aid engines to sustain all-hazards readiness across California.

California cuts red tape and accelerates forest management

• Reduces near-term wildfire danger in high-risk communities.

• Protects lives, homes, and critical infrastructure.

• Improves forest health and watershed resilience in the face of a hotter, drier climate.

• Creates a bridge to a durable, long-term regulatory framework for forest health and fuels reduction that will outlast any single emergency order.

Supporting tribal stewardship has been impactful for forest management, after Governor Newsom signed legislation, in March 2025 the Karuk Tribe and the California Natural Resources Agency entered into a landmark cultural burning agreement.

Recently, Governor Newsom announced 300 wildfire projects across 57,000 acres had been fast-tracked in 300 days. These fast-tracked projects build on the over 2,000 landscape and fire health projects completed by the state. Following an emergency proclamation on wildfire-prone forests, California cut red tape and maintained environmental safeguards to streamline processes and projects.

Here are some notable projects seeing a major impact on the ground:

• 600+ acre fuels reduction collaborative project protecting communities in the Los Angeles area near the Palisades footprint led by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

• 450-acre Prosper Ridge Community Wildfire Resilience Project that is incorporating cultural burning and prescribed fire for community protection in Humboldt County

• Nearly 3,000-acre Scott Valley/Callahan Fuels Reduction Project to restore ecosystem health and protect vulnerable rural communities in Siskiyou County

California leads the world in mutual aid and global partnerships

California is home to the largest and most advanced fire and rescue mutual aid system in the world with over 260 Cal OES mutual aid fire engines and water tenders assigned to local government and Tribal fire departments statewide. Under the Governor's leadership and built on the enduring principle of neighbors helping neighbors, the Governor has by strategically deployed fire and emergency resources ahead of anticipated weather threats throughout the state. California invested in 2025, $425 million to support local fire agencies' mutual aid efforts to respond to emergencies statewide.

California's committed to leading wildfire preparedness and subnational partnerships across the globe:

• The Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact (2025): members are committed to collaborating to prevent and suppress wildfires. The 13 western states and Canadian provinces apart of the compact also exchange firefighting resources, technology and expertise. Members include Alberta, Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Hawaii.
  
• Brazil (2025 MOU): At COP30, Governor Newsom announced a partnership with the State of Pará to strengthen cooperation on wildfire prevention and response - enhancing forest monitoring, identifying areas most at risk, and sharing research and expertise to improve firefighting and emergency management.
  
• British Columbia (2023 MOU): Mutual wildfire assistance is delivering results. British Columbia sent incident management experts to support California's Palisades Fire in 2025, while CAL FIRE deployed personnel during B.C.'s 2025 fire season. These exchanges established a lasting framework for cross-border wildfire support.
  
• France (2025): California signed a Protocol with the French Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Crisis Management. Current discussions are prioritizing wildfire management and security.

Trump weakens wildfire preparedness while California continues to lead

President Trump has made dramatic cuts to wildfire readiness across the United States and especially in rural and high-fire-risk California communities.

• In the final year of the Biden administration, the Forest Service treated more than 4 million acres of hazardous vegetation to reduce wildfire risk. Under Trump, that number plummeted to 2.6 million - a drop of nearly 1.5 million acres heading into what experts are warning could be an extreme fire season.

• Trump slashed prescribed burns by nearly half, dropping from over 1.6 million acres in 2024 to roughly 900,000 acres in 2025.

• Trump eliminated a decades-old fire risk assessment program - a critical tool that helped firefighters identify dead and dying trees and assess their potential to fuel catastrophic fires.

• Trump gutted wildfire science, closing six of California's eight U.S. Forest Service research facilities in some of the state's most fire-prone areas - Anderson, Chico, Mt. Shasta, Hat Creek, Fresno, and Fort Bragg - eliminating the data and analysis that drives smarter fuel treatments and post-fire recovery.

• Trump has already cut 10% of all U.S. Forest Service positions nationwide - and 25% of positions outside of direct wildfire suppression - reducing the capacity to staff federal Incident Command Teams and implement wildfire safety projects across California's 20 National Forests.

• Trump has slashed the National Weather Service (NWS) so severely that some offices can no longer provide life-saving warnings around the clock - and cut snow survey funding critical to water supply forecasting and flood risk management. Cuts to NWS have been so bad that some offices can't even provide warnings 24/7.

• Trump has proposed eliminating annual block grants that support state, tribal, private landowner, and urban forestry programs, which is funding that directly supports wildfire prevention partners across California.

• Trump is also turning his back on California communities trying to rebuild more resilient after wildfires. In April 2025, Trump cut a $35 million grant for Napa to reduce wildfire threats and build back more resilience after devastating fires. The Trump administration said the program was wasteful and ineffective. California is actively challenging the Trump administration to restore critical funds for the people of Napa, including 86 other California hazard mitigation projects.