“Courage Under Fire: Examining Government Preparedness and Response to Wildfires in California.”
Chairman Rouda, Ranking Member Comer, and members of the Subcommittee on Environment, thank you for inviting Cal OES to testify once again on the recovery from the devastating 0217 and 2018 wildfire seasons and ongoing emergency preparedness efforts to safeguard
Since last submitting testimony to this subcommittee in June,
Wildfire Preparedness
Climate change continues to act as a force-multiplier when it comes to wildfires and their destruction. It is important to note that ten of the state's 20 most destructive wildfires have occurred just since 2015. Climate change factors have driven the extensive, erratic and rapid spread of wildfire. This trend is expected to continue with the estimated burn area for fires to increase by 77% by the year 2100.
This year,
. increase situational awareness through better Alert and Warning capabilities; enhance implementation of Next Generation 911 to
. modernize the state 911 system;
. strengthen codes and regulatory oversight;
. Increase preparedness efforts across the state, particularly in vulnerable communities;
. increase firefighting capabilities through more equipment and personnel,
. focus utility preparedness and risk mitigation efforts; and to
. buy down the risk of wildfires by accelerating multiple projects to create defensible spaces in high severity fire zones.
Assembly Bill 1054 and Senate Bill 111 have both addressed the safety, accountability, and stability for the residents, businesses, and utilities of
These bills also establish new and innovative policies that will increase the responsibility of investor-owned utilities in safeguarding against wildfires. The overall direction to the IOUs was to better protect infrastructure and mitigate the possibility of fire starts. As a result, the IOUs have instituted the Public Safety Power Shutoff Program. This Program is implemented by the utilities when conditions indicate a high probability for fire, such as during a "red flag" warning situation. Cal OES along with
In addition, as part of the States Fire Mutual Aid response capability, Cal OES,
Assembly Bill 72 appropriated
Next Generation 9-1-1 and Resiliency of Telecommunications
Cal OES has continued working on its legislatively mandated implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1. Through a developed strategic plan, Cal OES issued a request for proposals and will announce on
Debris Management
A top priority during both the 2017 and 18 wildfire recovery efforts remains the facilitation of rapid debris removal operations. Without a successful and rapid debris removal program, communities would be unable to start to rebuild, amplifying public health and safety issues and stalling both individual and community economic recovery.
Private property debris removal on this scale is a new process in
Following the 2018 wildfires, Cal OES undertook multiple large-scale debris removal operations in both
Individual Assistance (IA)
In addition, throughout the 2017 and 2018 wildfire recovery efforts, assistance to individuals has been the other top priority. Throughout this process,
Recently however,
. the state's fiscal capacity;
. The state's total taxable resources;
. gross domestic product;
. non-profit capacity, and
. the per capita income of the local area.
States, such as
Conclusion
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you on very these important topics, and for your continued support.
Read this original document at: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO28/20190820/109883/HHRG-116-GO28-Wstate-GhilarducciM-20190820.pdf
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