Strategic Fire Plan for California
The 2018 Plan reflects CAL FIRE’s focus on (1) fire prevention and suppression activities to protect lives, property, and ecosystem services, and (2) natural resource management to maintain the state’s forests as a resilient carbon sink to meet California’s climate change goals and to serve as important habitat for adaptation and mitigation. A vision for a natural environment that is more fire resilient; buildings and infrastructure that are more fire resistant; and a society that is more aware of and responsive to the benefits and threats of wildland fire; all achieved through local, state, federal, tribal, and private partnerships.
To locate a specific Unit Fire Plan, you can zoom in or use the search bar on the map below. Once you have narrowed down your location or address, simply click on the map and a pop-up containing a link to the Unit's 2022 Fire Plan will appear. A list of all Unit Fire Plans is also located beneath the web map.
What are the goals of the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
Why does the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection have a 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
Who developed the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
What is a Unit Fire Plan?
What are the goals of 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
Through government and community collaboration, the following goals will enhance the protection of lives, property and natural resources from wildland fire, as well as improve environmental resilience to wildland fire. Community protection includes promoting the safety of the public and emergency responders, as well as protection of property and other improvements. Each goal listed here is meant to build upon the previous one (e.g., Goal 3 builds upon the accomplishments in Goals 1 and 2). Although full attainment of a goal is ultimately dependent upon the success of previous goals, any of the goals can be worked on at any given time based on available funding and other opportunities.
- Identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards and recognize life, property and natural resource assets at risk, including watershed, habitat, social and other values of functioning ecosystems. Facilitate the collaborative development and sharing of all analyses and data collection across all ownerships for consistency in type and kind.
- Promote and support local land use planning processes as they relate to: (a) protection of life, property, and natural resources from risks associated with wildland fire, and (b) individual landowner objectives and responsibilities.
- Support and participate in the collaborative development and implementation of local, county and regional plans that address fire protection and landowner objectives.
- Increase fire prevention awareness, knowledge and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss, property damage and impacts to natural resources from wildland fires.
- Integrate fire and fuels management practices with landowner/land manager priorities across jurisdictions.
- Determine the level of resources necessary to effectively identify, plan and implement fire prevention using adaptive management strategies.
- Determine the level of fire suppression resources necessary to protect the values and assets at risk identified during planning processes.
- Implement post-fire assessments and programs for the protection of life, property, and natural resource recovery.
Strategic Fire Plan (PDF)
Why does the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection have a 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
The mission of the Board is to lead California in developing policies and programs that serve the public interest in environmentally, economically, socially sustainable forest and rangeland management, and a fire protection system that protects and serves the people of the state. Its statutory responsibilities are to:
- Establish and administer forest and rangeland policy for the State of California, and
- Protect and represent the state’s interest in all forestry and rangeland matters, and
- Provide direction and guidance to CAL FIRE on fire protection and resource management, and
- Accomplish a comprehensive regulatory program for forestry and fire protection, and
- Conduct its duties to inform and respond to the people of the State of California.
In concert with the mission of the Board, the mission of CAL FIRE is to serve and safeguard the people and protect the property and resources of California.
PRC 4114 (found in Sections 4111-4123)
PRC 4130 (found in Sections 4125-4137)
Who developed the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan?
This statewide fire plan was developed in concert between the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection of and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The Board consulted a group of outside experts to complete a needs assessment and subsequently formed the Fire Plan Steering Committee. This Committee worked for over a year preparing the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan. For the first time, the Fire Plan was released for public review and comment during development. Significant changes were made to the Fire Plan based on the valuable input from many stakeholders.
State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
What is a Unit Fire Plan?
The largest and most visible part of CALFIRE operations is fire suppression. CAL FIRE Units are organized to address fire suppression over a geographic area and divided by region (North and South). California currently has 21 CAL FIRE Units and 6 additional Contract Counties which geographically follow county lines. Each unit consists of one to three counties.
Each CAL FIRE Unit and Contract County varies greatly in size, terrain, and fire suppression strategies. For this reason, individual Unit Strategic Fire Plans are completed annually to address how each CAL FIRE Unit and Contract County is achieving the goals and objectives of the Strategic Fire Plan. Annual updates to the Unit Fire Plans are due June 1 of each year. To simplify the process for annual updates, a Unit Fire Plan Template has been created. This template will allow for the inclusion of minor updates in addendums to the existing plan. Major changes in priorities, partnerships, projects, or plan components may require a new Unit Fire Plan to be submitted.