From left are Fire Marshall of Placer Hills Fire District, PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh, Executive Director of the California Fire Foundation Kara Haynes and by Chair of California Fire Foundation Darrell Roberts. Photo by Jasmin Lopez

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – On Monday, Sept. 21 the California Fire Foundation shared updates on the current preparations for peak fire season and announced the 75 recipients of the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program receiving one million in grants.

Since 2018, the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program has led public education efforts on disaster preparedness as an annual initiative by the California Fire Foundation in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E.) The program has contributed about 10 million in funding from PG&E to distribute annual public safety information and grants to local fire departments, associations and first responders since 2018.

The event on Monday began with a speech by Chair of California Fire Foundation Darrell Roberts addressing the current climate in California and wildfire risk. Photo by Ryley Metten

Chair of California Fire Foundation Darrell Roberts addressed the current climate in California and wildfire risk. Roberts told attendees that the climate conditions are similar to 2025 due to warmer and dryer climate caused by gusty winds and low humidity this has resulted in an increased wildfire risk throughout the state.

In 2026, over 322,000 acres burned statewide with the 2026 Bug Fire burning more than 93,000 acres in Lassen and Sierra counties alone just last month. Despite the continued threat of large wildfires, maintaining a defensible space and vegetation management has been a key component to the California Fire Foundation’s success in reducing the harm made by these fires. These outcomes are made possible through funding efforts such as the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program.

“The operational expenses have really outpaced what communities, district, cities can provide so partnering with organizations that have the ability to provide additional resources really is saving lives,” Roberts said.

Since 2018, the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program has led public education efforts on disaster preparedness as an annual initiative by the California Fire Foundation in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E.) Photo by Ryley Metten

PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh thanked the grant recipients for their efforts in wildfire prevention and explained the importance of their partnership to continue providing vital resources that they may not have otherwise.

“Disasters do not stop at a city or county line. They require coordination across communities, agencies and organizations. They require strong relationships built long before an emergency begins. That is why these grants matter,” Singh said.  

The funding from the grant has also equipped firefighters with a new radio device, The Bendix King 5000, about $2,500 apiece and composed of 5000 channels. This device makes it easier for firefighters to contact each other in times of emergency when towers are down.

Executive Director of the California Fire Foundation Kara Haynes spoke about how the new radio devices will help communication between firefighters and her gratitude to be able to contribute to such a significant new resource.

“When fires happen, towers are down and communications go down so then you go back to the basics, and the basics are radios. Having those open channels and being able to be away from each other and communicate with each other, we are really happy to be able to fund that,” Haynes said.

Executive Director of the California Fire Foundation Kara Haynes spoke about how the new radio devices will help communication between firefighters and her gratitude to be able to contribute to such a significant new resource. Photo by Jasmin Lopez

The Placer Hills Fire District was one of the recipients who received the Bendix King 5000 radio devices. Fire Marshall of Placer Hills Fire District Mark Ambrogi explained that this was just one of the many ways that the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program has supported firefighters.

“This is an excellent program; we’ve been involved in it for many years and other agencies that I know have been involved in it. Placerville was fortunate enough to get radio equipment, but there is numerous other types of funding available for fuels reduction, which is just as important, personal protective gear, clothing for firefighters, so when you put all that together you’re really looking at an overall combined approach to our wildfire situation,” Ambrogi said.

One thing is for certain, wildfires will not disappear, but with programs such as the Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program equipping departments and agencies with appropriate funding, we are more prepared to protect ourselves and local communities from the inevitable threat of wildfires.