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CAL FIRE and Nevada County OES report 2025 outlook: longer peak season, more staff and new detection tech
Summary
CAL FIRENevadaYubaPlacer unit and Nevada County Office of Emergency Services told supervisors the fire season outlook for 2025 is serious but manageable, with expanded staffing, new aircraft and AI-driven cameras; county was urged to keep promoting defensible-space and evacuation-zone tools.
CAL FIRENevadaYubaPlacer Unit Chief Brian Estes and Deputy Chief Jim Hudson told the Nevada County Board of Supervisors on May 13 that the unit is preparing for an extended, more active wildfire season in 2025 by increasing staffing, expanding ground and aviation assets and using new detection technologies.
Estes said CAL FIRE's staffing model is shifting from a short, intense "fire season" to a longer operational period. "Moving forward, CAL FIRE is committed to a 9 month fire season," he said, defining the peak staffing window as March 15 to Dec. 15. He added that the unit aims to staff some resources year-round and expects additional hiring over the next three to four years.
The unit-level numbers presented to the board included 22 frontline engines staffed during the peak period, seven hand crews, a permanent fourth dozer added to the unit, and an increase in hand-crew capacity including a third crew at Washington Ridge Conservation Camp. Hudson said those additions give the unit more surge and backfill capacity for extended…
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