Anticipating another difficult wildfire season, the governor is proposing the state’s largest-ever investment to prepare for and manage fires in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom flew over early-action projects in Sacramento County on Monday aboard a CAL FIRE Blackhawk helicopter.
It’s one of 12 being phased in by the end of next year.
"These fly much faster, they allow for more suppression and they’re a lot more safe," he said. Along with seven air tankers, they’re paid for as part of a proposed $2 billion investment - about half of which will be spent on fuels management.
"$1.24 billion to be exact just in our fire break, fuels management, forest health budget," Gov. Newsom explained. "In addition to that, roughly $800 million more in our all-hazards emergency preparedness efforts in the state of California. Again, (it’s) a $2 billion record-breaking investment."
There’s also more money to hire about 1,400 seasonal firefighters.
As the governor said, extreme weather events like the ones we saw last summer are likely to be more common in future.
Related
