Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services in the office of the Governor, with specified powers and duties relative to coordinating emergency services. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to enter into a joint powers agreement with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop and administer a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program, as specified.
Existing law requires electrical corporations to construct, maintain, and operate their electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by those electrical lines and equipment. Existing law requires an electrical corporation to develop, adopt, and update an emergency and disaster preparedness plan and a wildfire mitigation plan, as specified.
This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to establish, on or before December 31, 2026, a working group to study the feasibility of making the SoCal Edison-funded Quick Reaction Force firefighting helitanker program permanent in statute. The bill would require the Director of Emergency Services to appoint members to the working group who are knowledgeable about the program. The bill would make related findings and declarations.