strategicplan2019-final - Flipbook - Page 6
Background
From the appointment of the first State Board of Forestry in 1885, to the
creation of the first State Forester position in 1905, and the organization
of the original California Division of Forestry in 1927, the Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has protected the people, property,
and natural resources of California. The Department’s diverse programs
work together to plan protection strategies for over 31 million acres of
privately-owned wildlands, and to provide emergency services of all kinds
throughout California.
CAL FIRE’s jurisdiction extends the length and breadth of the State, and
the heart of its emergency response and resource protection capability is
a force of approximately 6,100 full-time fire professionals, foresters, and
administrative employees; 2,600 seasonal firefighters; 105 California Conservation Corps (CCC) firefighters; 600 Volunteers In Prevention (VIP); and
3,500 inmates and wards.
The Department responds to nearly 6,000 wildland fires that burn on
average over 260,000 acres each year. Through cooperative agreements,
mutual aid, and the State’s emergency plan, CAL FIRE personnel respond
to more than 450,000 incidents annually, including structure fires, automobile accidents, medical emergencies, swift water rescues, civil disturbances, search and rescues, hazardous material spills, train wrecks, floods,
and earthquakes.
Through its foresters and other natural resource professionals, CAL FIRE
is responsible for the management and protection of California’s natural resources. Of the 85 million acres classified as wildlands in the State,
33 million acres are forest lands, with 38 percent privately-owned and
62 percent tribal or government-owned. The State’s wildlands also provide
critical watershed, wildlife habitat, and recreation resources in addition
to valuable commercial timberland. CAL FIRE’s Resource Management
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