Wildfire County Coordinator Program., the official text

An act to add Article 13 (commencing with Section 4774) to Chapter 10 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire mitigation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and requires the task force to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the state’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, as provided. Existing law requires, on or before March 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, the task force to update the action plan.
The Budget Act of 2025 provided for a community hardening program in the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that includes home hardening certification and a wildfire county coordinator program, appropriated $9,500,000 to the department to make available to the California Fire Safe Council for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, and required the county coordinators to prioritize home hardening, defensible space, planning, and education for community-level wildfire mitigation efforts.
This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to (1) establish recommended guidance for the use of available wildfire risk modeling and analysis tools by organizations, as specified, (2) develop guidance and tools related to wildfire risk assessments, (3) support the development, updating, or procurement of county-level wildfire risk assessments, (4) maintain oversight authority for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, as provided, and (5) develop guidance and templates for the creation or revision of county-level wildfire resilience prioritization and implementation plans, and accompanying guidance for integrating these plans with related wildfire resilience programs, as provided.
This bill would provide in code for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program to support county-level coordination of and capacity for wildfire mitigation, prevention, preparedness, and recovery activities, as specified. The bill would require the department to enter into an agreement with the California Fire Safe Council to administer and deliver the program. The bill would require the program to, among other things, establish capacity in participating counties to plan and execute specified activities in support of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and collect data on local mitigation and preparedness activities, outcomes, and costs, as provided.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Wildfires pose an ongoing and increasing threat to life, property, public health, and the economy of the state.
(b) Proactive wildfire prevention, preparedness, and mitigation measures, including home hardening and defensible space, fuels management, evacuation and wildfire planning, and community education, reduce wildfire risk and improve community resilience.
(c) Effective wildfire risk reduction requires locally informed risk assessment, planning, prioritization, and implementation, in alignment with state strategy and supported by adequate local technical and administrative capacity.
(d) Established in 2021, the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, developed and delivered by the California Fire Safe Council in partnership with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Office of the State Fire Marshal, has substantially increased local capacity to plan and implement critical wildfire prevention, preparedness, and mitigation activities. Already the small investment in community capacity has produced substantial resiliency benefits to the state.
(e) The Wildfire County Coordinators have served as vital local resources to secure funding, implement mitigation projects, engage vulnerable populations, and build resilience in high-risk communities.
(f) Funds were appropriated to the California Fire Safe Council for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program in the Budget Act of 2025 for the purpose of supporting local capacity to prioritize home hardening, defensible space, planning, and education for community-level wildfire mitigation efforts.
(g) It is in the interest of our state to support the Wildfire County Coordinators and further enhance the capacity of counties to proactively reduce their wildfire risk and thereby improve public safety and community insurability.
(h) The Wildfire County Coordinator Program is a cornerstone of the community resilience strategy outlined in the 2026 Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Action Plan Update, and the Wildfire County Coordinators serve as the crucial link between state strategy and local execution to ensure California communities are better prepared and more resilient to wildfire.
(i) It is the intent of the Legislature to advance the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan by expanding county-level capacity to reduce wildfire and smoke risk.

SEC. 2.
Article 13 (commencing with Section 4774) is added to Chapter 10 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
13.
Wildfire County Coordinator Program4774.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “CFSC” means the California Fire Safe Council, a non-profit entity that supports communities across the state in wildfire preparedness and resiliency through grant funding, programmatic support, and technical assistance.
(b) “Community Wildfire Protection Plan” has the same meaning as defined in 16 U.S.C. Section 6511(3).
(c) “Wildfire County Coordinator Program” or “program” means the program established pursuant to Section 4774.2.

4774.1.
The department shall do all of the following:
(a) (1) Establish recommended guidance for the use of available wildfire risk modeling and analysis tools by organizations, including, but not limited to, fire departments, local department units, local fire safe councils, resource conservation districts, tribal entities, counties, cities, special districts, communities, and mitigation practitioners, that seek to support the work of the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, in consultation with the Risk Modeling Advisory Workgroup within the department.
(2) The guidance established under this subdivision shall not apply to, or affect the regulation or use of, catastrophe or wildfire risk models used by insurers for ratemaking filings under Section 1861.05 of the Insurance Code.
(b) Develop guidance and tools to support county-level wildfire risk assessments, the identification of high-risk communities, prioritization of mitigation activities, and evaluation of quantifiable risk reduction outcomes.
(c) Support the development, updating, or procurement of county-level wildfire risk assessments.
(d) Maintain oversight authority for program implementation, performance, and alignment with community wildfire protection plans and the department’s unit fire plans, and ensure, to the extent feasible, that the activities conducted align with those relevant plans and existing applicable state and local fire agency standards in order to avoid duplicative planning and reporting requirements, reduce administrative burden, and improve coordination.
(e) In coordination with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, develop guidance and templates for the creation or revision of county-level wildfire resilience prioritization and implementation plans, along with accompanying guidance for integrating these plans with county and local Community Wildfire Protection Plans, regional resilience plans, and related wildfire resilience programs.

4774.2
(a) The department shall establish the Wildfire County Coordinator Program and shall enter into an agreement with the CFSC to administer and deliver the program.
(b) The purpose of the program is to support county-level coordination of and capacity for wildfire mitigation, prevention, preparedness, and recovery activities, including, but not limited to, evacuation and resilience planning, data collection, public education and outreach, smoke mitigation, home hardening, defensible space, fuels reduction, and community-scale mitigation.

4774.3.
The Wildfire County Coordinator Program shall do all of the following:
(a) Establish capacity in participating counties to plan and execute community- and county-level wildfire prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and recovery activities in support of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan described in Article 11 (commencing with Section 4770).
(b) Support the use of the risk assessment tools and guidance developed pursuant to Section 4774.1 to enhance county-level risk assessment, wildfire planning, and project prioritization, including the integration with community wildfire protection plans.
(c) Facilitate local coordination on priority wildfire resilience planning and implementation with federal, local, and regional wildfire resilience partners, including, but not limited to, fire departments, local department units, local fire safe councils, resource conservation districts, tribal entities, counties, cities, special districts, communities, and mitigation practitioners.
(d) Develop and disseminate educational materials and programming on wildfire and smoke mitigation and preparedness, including targeted outreach to high-risk communities and populations.
(e) Provide information on available local, state, and federal financial resources to support wildfire resilience planning and implementation.
(f) Support local capacity to access and implement state or federal wildfire resilience funding programs.
(g) Support the planning and implementation of home hardening, defensible space, and related mitigation activities, through activities such as the following:
(1) Implementing cost-reduction strategies, standardized implementation practices, contractor or workforce development, and data collection to evaluate program effectiveness.
(2) Implementing strategies to lower the cost of home hardening and defensible space, including bulk-purchasing agreements, shared procurement, and other logistical efficiencies.
(3) Establishing clear guidelines, standardized scopes of work, and cost estimates for common retrofits.
(4) Identifying, training, and creating a centralized list of wildfire mitigation practitioners.
(h) Coordinate with the California Wildfire Mitigation Program Joint Powers Authority established pursuant to Article 16.5 (commencing with Section 8654.2) of Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code to improve access to and streamline financial assistance for home hardening and defensible space in high-risk communities.
(i) Support activities to increase community resilience to smoke, including, but not limited to, increasing community access to indoor clean air spaces, distribution of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, educational initiatives, and improved communication of planned prescribed burns. County coordinators may disseminate the latest information from air districts, public health departments, and other partners to support outreach and education efforts.
(j) Collect data on local mitigation and preparedness activities, including costs and quantifiable risk reduction outcomes.