Schiff Statement on Extension of FireGuard Program
“Ensuring that state and local firefighters have the most sophisticated technology available to combat wildfires and keep our communities safe is absolutely critical as California is facing more dangerous and extreme wildfire seasons with each passing year. Earlier this month, we pressed the Department of Defense to extend states’ access to the FireGuard program, and I am pleased that the Department has agreed to extend the program for an additional year.
“Fireguard helps our communities to track and counter these horrifying blazes, and my colleagues in the California delegation will continue to push to make this program permanent while continuing to identify ways that new technologies can help us more effectively fight wildfires and keep people and homes safe.
“FireGuard is a critical tool in the ongoing efforts to curb wildfires, but we must also acknowledge the very real impact the climate crisis has inflicted on our state in the form of increasingly destructive and widespread wildfires. As we work to ensure access to FireGuard and make other tools available to the heroic firefighters on the frontlines, we must also put significant energy toward combatting the climate crisis by reducing emissions and making transformative investments in green technology to mitigate the crisis’ catastrophic consequences.”
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