Prescribed burns, satellites and more: 5 things to know from Gov. Newsom's firefighting press conference

California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a joint press conference Thursday at CAL FIRE’s Grass Valley Air Attack Base in Nevada County alongside important partner stakeholders.

The roughly 45-minute press conference was meant to highlight the new innovations and ongoing preparations on behalf of the state of California and partner forces for the upcoming wildfire season — a season projected to be as dangerous and, potentially, destructive as 2017.

That year, fires burned over 1.5 million acres, resulting in the deaths of 47 people and the loss of 11,000 structures.

Here’s what you should know.

Forest management strategies are at the forefront

Following devastating record fire seasons — including two of the worst on record in the last four years — California had been highly criticized for what’s been characterized as decades of forest mismanagement, such as a lack of routine prescribed burns.

That’s now changing, according to Gov. Newsom.

California has been working with the federal government and private landowners — who own 58% and 40% of forests in the state, respectively — to actively manage more of the forests and wildlands residing here.

Newsom said that his administration, through an agreement with the federal government, has doubled the number of acres they’re managing. The governor also said $20 million in funding has been allocated in private liability insurance for landowners who conduct prescribed burns.

“We’re doing more than we’ve ever done,” Newsom said.

Largest fleet gets larger and more advanced

CAL FIRE has the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world, according to CAL FIRE, with over 60 fixed-wing aircraft.

Not only does the state plan on increasing that amount, but the aircraft are now significantly more advanced.

CAL FIRE has been utilizing Sikorsky S70i Firehawks, which use the same framework as the iconic Blackhawk helicopters deployed by the U.S. military in conflict and disaster zones around the globe. Twelve were purchased in 2018 and today Gov. Newsom said that total would increase to 16 “very, very soon.”

The helicopters can hold a 1,000-gallon external tank, increasing fire-suppressing capabilities by 300%, according to CAL FIRE helicopter program chief pilot Ben Berman.

The Firehawks have night-vision goggles capabilities and can deliver wildland firefighters to remote areas quickly. They’re “a total game-changer,” Berman said.

Three additional air tankers, which can carry up to 4,000 gallons of retardant, have also been added to the fleet. The tankers are strategically pre-positioned across the state.

The future of firefighting

It’s not just the helicopters getting more advanced.

Firefighting agencies are now utilizing an integrated program called FIRIS, or Fire Integrated Real-time Intelligence System, that takes data from a whole host of sources to provide firefighters with the most comprehensive look at emerging fires — all in real-time.

It includes aircraft-borne forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) cameras, mountaintop cameras — of which the state has nearly 1,000 — weather sensors, automatic vehicle locator and computer-aided dispatch technologies, and more.

All of this intelligence is fed to firefighters and support crews to allow them to determine the best method of attack.

“We are modernizing our approach,” Newsom said. “We’re meeting — dare I say — the moment. Addressing the nature of the change, the extremes that we’re now challenged within our state.”

Office of the Governor of California

Satellite technology coming to an orbit near you

A long-running battle with the Department of Defense to access military satellite technology that was originally developed as an early warning missile-detection system has purportedly turned in California’s favor.

The satellites sit in geosynchronous orbit, meaning they can peer into the same region uninterrupted — perfect for detecting emerging fires.

California first had access to the satellites on a limited, year-to-year basis in 2018, but since the Biden administration took control in Washington, Gov. Newsom said the state has had streamlined access to the technology.

“Extraordinarily successful,” he said of the technology.

Gov. Newsom also said that the state is working on an agreement with the Environmental Defense Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, for a constellation of 50 satellites in low-Earth orbit that will be used in firefighting efforts.

Skirting environmental laws

California is seen by many as being the spearhead of environmental and climate issues.

No law was perhaps more championed as evidence of that than the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA. It’s a landmark 1970 law that requires state and local agencies to inform the public and decision-makers about the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects.

Considered a force for good for many years, it has now hampered many local, regional and statewide efforts when it comes to forest management and efforts on behalf of communities to recover from devasting fires.

Gov. Newsom said during his press conference that he has signed “19 to 20” executive orders over the years that have functionally acted as CEQA-reform bills.

Included among those executive orders are two in recent years that have allowed for rapid and effective fuel-management treatments, such as prescribed burns, as well as the streamlining of housing and the waiving of fees for residents displaced by fires.

View the full press conference below: