SACRAMENTO — On September 11, 2026, Governor attended the graduation ceremony for 39 newly certified CAL FIRE Company Officers, the agency’s 12th leadership academy session of the year.

The ceremony coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, an observance the department noted as meaningful for firefighters and other first responders. The new officers were sworn into leadership roles that CAL FIRE says prepare them to command crews and manage all-risk emergencies.

CAL FIRE reported that the graduates join more than 3,600 emergency response leaders trained since 2019 as part of investments in frontline leadership and crew development. The department said it remains on pace to appoint over 500 new Company Officers before the end of 2026.

State officials highlighted broader workforce and budget changes since 2019: CAL FIRE’s full-time positions reportedly rose from 5,829 to 11,436. The administration says it increased the fire protection budget from $2 billion to $3.8 billion and committed more than $2.5 billion to wildfire resilience and forest-health projects. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services budget, the announcement said, grew from $1.8 billion to $4.5 billion.

The administration also cited other state wildfire resources: more than $350 million for wildfire safety projects on federal lands (which the release states comprise 58% of California’s forestlands), expanded engagement of young people through the California Conservation Corps (CCC), and support from the California National Guard’s Joint Task Force Rattlesnake (JTFRS).

The release provided 2025 activity figures for the CCC: CCC fire crews were dispatched to 355 wildfire incidents, logging 415,930 emergency response hours; corpsmembers supported base camps for 33 incidents plus one out-of-state camp, totaling 173 dispatches and 347,488 hours; and the CCC Forestry Corps reported treating 1,515 acres, removing 1,700 trees for fuel management, and planting 8,000 trees.

The release also said JTFRS comprises over 400 California National Guard members working under CAL FIRE and that the task force and partners recently conducted MAFFS training to prepare for aerial firefighting operations.

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Gavin Newsom

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