Existing law establishes in state government the Natural Resources Agency, consisting of various departments, including the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Existing law provides that the department is responsible for the fire protection, fire prevention, maintenance, and enhancement of the state's forest, range, and brushland resources, contract fire protection, associated emergency services, and assistance in civil disasters and other nonfire emergencies.
This bill would require the Natural Resources Agency to provide a basic level of technological support to community organizations for wildfire risk reduction and resiliency, including technology for data, geospatial mapping, and data management, as well as software and limited technical support, and would require the Natural Resources Agency to structure this wildfire technology support in the same way that technology support is provided for similar services for wildfire-program building, outreach, and planning. The bill would provide that the sum of $5,000,000 shall be appropriated from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in the annual Budget Act each year through the 2023–24 fiscal year to the Natural Resources Agency for purposes of providing the technological support described above.