Governor Newsom predeploys more firefighting resources, directs aggressive statewide response to fire weather and heat

SACRAMENTO – At the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) today approved the predeployment of 13 fire engines, seven water tenders and two dispatchers in Sierra, Nevada and Plumas County through Tuesday ahead of expected high temperatures, low humidity and dry lightning. This is on top of resources predeployed earlier this week  in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather forecasted to impact Southern California lasting through Sunday. 

A total of 64 fire engines, 17 water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, 10 hand crews, 16 dispatchers, and two Incident Management Teams, are predeployed to 10 counties including Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra, Nevada and Plumas counties. Local fire agencies identify when conditions in their community may require additional resources and submit a request to the state for support. The staging locations and response assignments are coordinated by local officials.

These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires. This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents. The preposition program is in addition to California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which remains available for emergency response support throughout the state where resources are needed.

With extreme heat forecasted for much of the state, California entered Phase 2 of its extreme temperature response plan on Wednesday – ramping up state and local coordination of resources to prepare for extreme heat. At the Governor’s direction, the State Operations Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is on an enhanced watch for both heat and fire conditions. Cooling centers to protect vulnerable residents are also open in communities across the state.