Bill seeks to enhance wildfire combating efforts

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) introduced Tuesday the Military Support for Fighting Wildfires Act, which seeks to bolster wildfire combating efforts.

Garamendi joined U.S. Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA) in delivering the bill for consideration. The legislation seeks to improve the military’s emergency response support while providing Congressional authorization for the California Air National Guard’s FireGuard program in conjunction with the Air Force and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

“The American military has incredible capabilities for observation, which can and should be used to improve civilian emergency response to wildfires and other natural disasters with the appropriate safeguards for privacy,” Garamendi said. “As western states like California face increasingly severe and frequent wildfires due to man-made climate change, we need all the help we can get from the federal government, including the military. I look forward to working with my colleagues in California’s Congressional delegation to secure the federal support needed as our state confronts the harsh realities of a new, year-round fire season.”

Legislation provisions include requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to include an accounting of costs for wildfire response in the annual budget request to Congress; specify National Guard training for emergency response for wildfires must include National Interagency Fire Center best practices and recommendations; and enable the DOD to spend funds to reconfigure additional Coast Guard HC-130H aircraft for wildfire suppression and be required by Congress to be transferred to the Forest Service or the State of California.