Governor Newsom proclaims Wildfire Preparedness Week 2025

PROCLAMATION

January’s fires in Los Angeles underscored the scale and intensity of the climate impacts we face today. California has long faced a year-round fire season, and so it is more important now than ever that every person in the state be prepared for wildfire. Two of the five most destructive wildfires to ever hit California happened in January – which is a warning sign of what’s to come. The state itself is taking unprecedented action to make our communities more resilient to wildfire and improve forest health.

Over the past six years, we’ve advanced historic investments to step up forest management and other projects that decrease catastrophic wildfire risk, nearly doubled CAL FIRE’s budget, and built the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world, supplemented by other state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and technology. This year, we have taken further steps to modernize and update California’s nation-leading fire standards, including accelerating the development of “Zone 0” regulations to create ember-resistant zones around structures in the highest fire severity zones in the state.   

We have dramatically increased work to prevent wildfires, with more than 2,200 fuels reduction projects complete or underway on state land. In recent years, California has treated nearly 2 million acres. This work is vital to slowing and reducing the intensity of wildfires and provides areas from which fire personnel can safely and aggressively suppress fires. Developing and maintaining these vital projects across the state will remain an ongoing focus to protect our communities – and we are ready to strengthen our federal partnerships. The state government manages only 3% of California’s forestland, while 57% of California’s forests are federally managed.

This year’s Wildfire Preparedness Week theme, “Building a Fire-Ready Future: Strengthening Our Defenses, Together,” emphasizes the importance of both collaborative efforts and individual responsibility in reducing and managing wildfire risk.  Californians can make their neighborhoods safer by creating defensible space around homes, hardening homes, developing wildfire action plans, and teaming up to join Fire Safe Councils and Firewise Communities, which work to regularly assess wildfire risk and prioritize action to address it.

All of us have an essential role in protecting ourselves, loved ones, and communities from wildfire. During Wildfire Preparedness Week, I encourage all Californians to visit ReadyForWildfire.org to learn about steps we can take to prepare for wildfire season and help prevent loss of life and property. Together, we can create a more fire resilient California.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim  May 4-10, 2025 as “Wildfire Preparedness Week.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 4^th day of May 2025.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State