Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40), Judy Chu (CA-28), and Julia Brownley (CA-26) introduced the bipartisan Fire Information and Reaction Enhancement (FIRE) Act to improve wildfire detection and forecasting.
The FIRE Act would allow the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop and expand wildfire detection capabilities and quickly disseminate critical information to land managers and firefighters before wildfires spread to catastrophic levels.
“Last fall, the Airport Fire started in my district and burned nearly 24,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties. Early detection and quick, secure communication can be the difference between life and death during a wildfire,” said Congresswoman Kim. “The FIRE Act would allow NOAA to forecast and detect wildfire activity, so we can respond to and hopefully prevent natural disasters. I’ll keep being a voice for wildfire solutions.”
“The Southern California wildfires this month are on track to become one of the costliest and devastating natural disasters in our country’s history. Across Altadena and northern Pasadena in my district, the Eaton Fire alone has destroyed over 9,500 structures, left 20,000 people homeless, and has taken at least 17 lives. As climate change causes longer, more severe fire seasons in California each year, we need to leverage all the tools at our disposal to keep communities safe,” said Rep. Chu. “I’m partnering with Reps. Kim and Brownley to introduce and pass the FIRE Act so that NOAA can provide better wildfire forecasting and detection to help prevent, track, and quickly respond to fires, and we can give the federal government and our state more tools to protect against catastrophic wildfires.”
“In recent years, wildfires have surged in frequency and intensity across California, and today, communities in Southern California are once again facing the devastating impacts of these fires. In Ventura County and the Conejo Valley, we’ve seen firsthand the destruction caused by wildfires, and the threat is undeniably linked to the real and worsening impacts of the climate crisis. It is critically important that we invest in better technologies for wildfire mitigation, detection, and response to combat this growing danger,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “The FIRE Act will improve NOAA wildfire forecasting and detection, while improving information-sharing with firefighters and land managers. The sooner we can detect wildfires and get first responders to the scene, the sooner we can save lives, minimize damage to our communities, and ease the strain on emergency services.”
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
