Witnesses highlight health risks to first responders and staffing strains across public-health and hospital workforces

Lawmakers heard that the wildfires strained health-system staffing, exposed first responders to carcinogens and other occupational hazards, and placed heavy burdens on county public-health workers who were deployed to disaster centers.

Staffing and operational strain Dr. Lori Morgan (Huntington Health) told the committee that within 24 hours more than 50% of the hospital's roughly 4,000 employees were evacuated, producing staff shortages, canceled procedures and increased labor costs for temporary staffing. Morgan said the hospital opened temporary patient-care spaces, provided emergency dialysis, and absorbed displaced nursing‑home patients in non-billable settings. Cynthia White, a Los Angeles County public-health administrative worker deployed to the resource center, described being one of many county staff who performed disaster work while short-staffed for routine duties.

First-responder occupational risk and recommendations Rafi Bichakyan (Pasadena Firefighters Local 809) and other witnesses emphasized firefighter occupational exposures and behavioral-health needs. He told lawmakers that firefighters face repeated exposures to carcinogens and that firefighting is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen. He cited AB700 (2023), which created the California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program, and urged expanded funding for firefighter cancer research, more culturally competent behavioral-health clinicians, and continued investment in fire-based emergency medical services (EMS).

Existing surge and state asset use Speakers noted the availability of state surge resources such as the California Medical Assistance Team (CalMAT) and other mutual-aid systems but said communication gaps can prevent rapid deployment. Committee members discussed the need for preplanned staffing pools to prevent reliance on expensive traveling nurses and to ensure statewide redeployment when disasters overwhelm local capacity.

Why this matters: The combined health-system staffing disruptions and elevated occupational exposure risk for first responders imply both immediate operational needs (housing, surge staffing) and longer-term monitoring and research to protect responder health.

Ending: Witnesses asked the legislature to invest in workforce surge capacity, occupational-health research for firefighters, behavioral-health access for first responders and better coordination of state-level resources for rapid deployment.