RELEASE: Harder Introduces Landmark Wildfire Bill to Combat Growing Crisis
Nearly 65,000 wildfires burned almost 9 million acres in the U.S. last year alone
In less than a month, Southern California fires caused more than $250 billion in damages
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09), and Reps. Scott Franklin (FL-18), Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Greg Stanton (AZ-04) introduced bipartisan, first-of-its-kind legislation to fundamentally fix federal wildfire prevention. Created with the input of wildfire experts and firefighting agencies, the Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act responds to the megafire crisis by modernizing existing fire prevention efforts and responding directly to the needs of the first responders on the front lines of this fight.
Just last year, nearly 65,000 wildfires raged across the U.S., burning almost 9 million acres. California continues to be on the front lines of this crisis – in less than a month, the Southern California fires earlier this year caused more than $250 billion in damages. Meanwhile, more and more Valley communities continue to be added to the list of areas at risk of severe destruction.
“Thousands of acres in California burned just weeks ago, and thousands more are at risk because Washington has failed to address our years-long megafire crisis. That stops now,” said Rep. Harder. “This bipartisan bill fundamentally changes our approach to wildfire prevention and gives our firefighters, communities, and public health officials the tools they need to fight back effectively.”
The Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act takes a four-part approach to combating the dangerous rise in megafires:
- Combats firefighter shortages by establishing a new Middle Fire Leaders Academy and grant programs to train and hire more firefighters.
- Retains expert wildland firefighters with increased benefits and better working conditions.
- Improves fire response time with updated technology like developing risk maps and establishing the Joint Office of Fire Environment Center.
- Addresses the public health crisis caused by wildfire smoke by establishing a nationwide real-time air quality monitoring and alert system.
“Our brave federal firefighters fight tirelessly to mitigate wildfires, which have been a growing threat across our nation,” said Rep. Franklin. “It’s critical to equip our firefighters with the tools, resources and benefits they need to conduct effective wildfire management and recruit and retain the best talent. The Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act is a comprehensive package that enhances our wildfire prevention strategies, improves response times and addresses workforce challenges. I’m proud to support this legislation to ensure our firefighters are better prepared to face these increasingly severe threats and give our courageous men and women the flexibility they deserve.”
A one-pager on the Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act is available here.
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