Sen. Padilla applauds passage of FIRE Act

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) recently touted the passage of his legislation, the FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency (FIRE) Act, which now heads to the president’s desk for signature.

The measure was co-sponsored by six Senate colleagues and is designed to strengthen Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wildfire preparedness and response efforts.

“After years of increasingly catastrophic wildfires in the West, it has become clear that FEMA’s practices for helping communities respond to and recover from wildfires do not adequately meet the need,” Padilla said. “The FIRE Act is an important step to help ensure that FEMA’s disaster preparedness and response efforts fully address the unique nature of wildfires and their impacts on our communities. I’m grateful to see this critical bill pass and urge the President to sign it swiftly into law.”

The legislation updates the Stafford Act governing FEMA while improving FEMA’s response to wildfires by enabling the agency to pre-deploy assets during times of highest wildfire risk, including red flag warnings.

U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) led the legislation’s navigation through the House.

“Wildfires present a unique and increasing danger in California and across the country,” Lofgren said. “Congress must ensure all federal agencies and statutes are set up in ways that best support our communities as they prepare for and respond to deadly fires. Wildfire assistance should not be treated as less important than hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods, and our bill importantly improves and brings parity to FEMA’s efforts by focusing on disaster-specific needs.”

The legislation will also bolster FEMA’s disadvantaged communities’ counseling and case management services while ensuring relocation assistance is attainable for public infrastructure in fire-prone communities.