The bill would require CalFire to keep a certain number of crews on hand without using overtime.
As California prepares for another grueling wildfire season with a significant lack of firefighters, state Sen. Brian Jones (R-San Diego) is working to help ease staffing shortages and reduce forced overtime with a new bill.
Co-authored by Sen. Jones, SB 1062, also known as the “Fixing the Firefighter Shortage Act of 2022”, the bill would require CAL FIRE to “maintain a standard minimum level of staffing for each of its engines…without the regular practice of forcing overtime.” Along with this requirement, the department would need to increase its “existing firefighter fuel crews” and supply the legislature with a long-term staffing plan.
“Through this measure, California will hire an additional 356 full time firefighters and 16 firefighting hand crews,” Jones said.
“Our firefighters are heroes, risking their lives to save communities in San Diego and across California. We’re going to hire extra firefighters to make sure that we are getting onto fires sooner, safer, and more efficiently.”
According to The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), 13 out of the 20 most destructive wildfires have occurred in the last five years, causing the state to suffer over $30 billion in insured losses in the years of 2017, 2018 and 2020 alone. As wildfires have threatened the safety of many residents, it has also pressured many firefighters to a breaking point.
CAL FIRE 2881 President Tim Ewards spoke to CapRadio’s Insight stating that the personnel shortage is “literally threatening the lives and mental health of Cal Fire firefighters.”
Edwards added that in recent years what used to be a 72 hour work week has now become “incredibly long overtime hours and many times up to 40 to 60 days in a row without a single day off.” In addition to significant work increases, over 54,000 calls have been made by firefighters to state mental health hotlines in the last four years.
