CAL FIRE outlines year‑round staffing needs, nursery shortfalls and requests for permanent defensible‑space inspectors
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Summary
CAL FIRE officials told a Senate subcommittee the department has expanded into year‑round operations, faces seedling shortages, and seeks $6.1 million and 31 permanent positions to stabilize defensible‑space inspections as temporary wildfire‑resilience funds expire.
Annalie Berlou, Chief Deputy Director of Operations for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), briefed the subcommittee on the agency’s statewide responsibilities and the budget implications of a changing fire environment. Berlou said CAL FIRE employs roughly 13,000 people, stewards about 31 million acres of State Responsibility Area and has already responded to hundreds of thousands of emergencies; she told the committee that 2026 is “set up to be a very concerning fire season.”
CAL FIRE officials described a planned multi‑year transition to a 66‑hour workweek intended to sustain peak staffing longer through the year. Matt Sully (deputy director for cooperative fire) and other CAL FIRE staff warned the committee that pausing or shelving components of the five‑year 66‑hour implementation would create promotion and staffing imbalances and could leave key leadership ranks underfilled.
The department also said it is short on seedling production for reforestation. Eric Hough, Deputy Director of Natural Resource Management, said CAL FIRE’s Moran Reforestation Center currently produces about 200,000 seedlings a year and aims to expand capacity; the department is partnering with industry and the U.S. Forest Service to scale up supply.
On inspection capacity, Frank Bigelow (Deputy Director, Community Wildfire Preparedness & Mitigation) requested $6,100,000 and 31 positions in FY 2026‑27 to stabilize a defensible‑space inspection program. Bigelow said damage‑inspection data show homes lacking compliant defensible space are six times more likely to be destroyed during wildfire events and that without ongoing funding CAL FIRE’s annual inspections could drop from a 250,000 goal to fewer than 130,000 after one‑time wildfire funds expire. “This proposal stabilizes the state's defensible space inspection program and supports the ongoing workload created by Assembly Bill 38,” Bigelow said.
Committee members and analysts probed funding sources. Department of Finance and the Legislative Analyst’s Office both suggested options that could reduce general‑fund pressure — for example, phasing or partial funding, using GGRF and other grant streams, revisiting fee structures, or funding positions on a one‑time basis until regulatory requirements are finalized.
On federal partnerships and contract counties, CAL FIRE staff explained contract agreements (for example with Orange County Fire Authority) that reimburse for specific assets and do not cover local missions outside the contract. The hearing closed with public commenters urging larger Prop 4 allocations and attention to regional distribution of funds.
The subcommittee held the items open for further action; no votes occurred.
