‘No one expected a fire tornado.’ Jerry Brown says wildfires are going to get expensive.
"The need to protect these communities ... is requiring more firefighters, more resources all the time,"
The deadly blazes, in
"We're in for a really rough ride," Gov.
Officials are beginning to undertake a broad, more ambitious prevention strategy that includes aggressively thinning out thick forests in rural, rugged parts of the state; increasing state funding for firefighters, training and equipment; incorporating into firefighter training new methods for battling unpredictable, wind-driven fires; and working with local governments to update land use plans and building codes that discourage development in fire-prone areas or call for more safety measures.
"The risks are much bigger than what we may have traditionally thought of," Pimlott said. "These are literally 100-, 150-foot flame lengths ... there's no way we're going to stop that kind of a fire, so we are changing tactics."
Pimlott said the key priority is protecting life and property.
"We're going to make every effort to protect these communities, to get people evacuated, but what it means is we may not be able to put a bulldozer or firefighter or engine company down in front of that fire," he said. "We use roads, we use ridge tops, we use geographic features where we can have a much higher probability of success."
It's also about finding money to hire firefighters and purchase equipment, fire officials and lawmakers said.
"We have a limited number of resources," Pimlott said. "You always want more. ...
Since the fiscal year began
During last year's fires, the state spent
For the latest updates on
Brown said Wednesday that the state will spend what it must to attack the fires.
"There is money in this year's budget," he said. "In a year or slightly longer, that money will start to diminish. ... Things will get much tighter in the next five years as the business cycle turns negative and the fires continue."
He suggested
"No one expected a fire tornado," Brown said. "We're getting a new phenomenon and that new phenomenon is we're in a new climate weather era and so we have to learn."
Brown since 2015 has directed more than
In May, he outlined in an executive order a
The plan also seeks to make it easier for private landowners to thin vegetation on their properties by streamlining the approvals process for permits needed to do so.
Some say the state's efforts to date don't go far enough.
Republican gubernatorial candidate
Cox, who toured the fire zone in
"Politicians like
Cox also backs the thinning of forests, saying the state should be investing in "fire breaks, controlled burns and clearing out dead and diseased trees."
He said the state also needs to invest more heavily in boosting the ranks of firefighters, training and equipment.
"We're going to find the money, believe me," Cox said.
Newsom spokesman
Newsom outlined a detailed approach for how he'd address the looming wildfire threat to
"The science is clear -- increased fire threat due to climate change is becoming a fact of life in our state," Newsom said in a statement. "We need a comprehensive strategy and more resources to address this growing crisis."
Assembly Minority Leader
"By not doing that, we're burning down our forests," Dahle said. "We know if we don't do anything, it's going to burn."
Wood said it needs to be done on a "large scale," with ongoing state money. He also floated the idea of greater state investment in an early fire detection system.
"I firmly believe, as I know Brian does, that we need to invest more in reducing the fuel load," Wood said. "I think it's long overdue and it's going to take a sustained, long-term investment."
Dahle voiced support for ideas being floated by other lawmakers to redirect a larger share of state cap-and-trade money into wildfire prevention.
"I think there's a lot better places we could spend our greenhouse gas monies," he said, noting a proposal from state Sen.
"We still need to fund firefighters and tankers and helicopters," Dahle said. "But we also need to take the smallest trees out. If you thin out the canopy, fires burn slower and not as intensely."
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