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Cal Fire outlines expanded staffing, year‑round response and aviation practices amid questions on retardant use
Summary
Cal Fire described a five‑year plan to extend staffing and shift to a 66‑hour workweek for firefighters, while chief deputies defended use of aviation assets and said policies limit retardant drops near waterways. Senators pressed the department on environmental impacts and regional equity of prevention funding.
Cal Fire officials told the Senate subcommittee the department is implementing a five‑year plan to move firefighters toward a 66‑hour workweek that will increase peak-season staffing and extend higher staffing nine months per year.
Annalee Berlou, Cal Fire chief deputy director, said the year‑one implementation focused on building personnel and training to support the shift. “A big focus of the 66‑hour work week is health and wellness of our employees,” Berlou said, and the change will reduce time away from home and increase availability during longer fire seasons.
Berlou provided staffing figures the department expects at scale: in the base (winter) months the department said it previously had about 65 engines available…
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