Senate Bill 1079 would codify the Fire Innovation Unit (FIU) within CAL FIRE, aiming to create a glide path for new technologies to run from idea to deployment.
“The pipeline for getting new technologies into the hands of firefighters remains slow and fragmented,” Eric Horne, California director for Megafire Action, said Tuesday during a hearing for the bill. “Today there is no dedicated system to consistently identify operational needs from firefighters, connect those needs with the technology community, rigorously evaluate new tools through pilots and demonstrations, and then scale successful solutions across the department. SB 1079 addresses this gap.”
FIU would consist of three parts:
- The existing Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development, which the bill would write into law.
- The existing Innovation, Outreach and Coordination Program, which the bill would also codify.
- It would create the Rapid Acquisition and Deployment Program.
SB 1079 would also establish the Wildfire Innovation Grant Program, though the bill doesn’t provide funding for it.
Sen. Henry Stern, D-27, the bill’s author, said during the hearing that his Southern California district has gone through two significant fires recently.
“I’ve lost too much, and I’ve seen too many great tools left on the table,” Stern said. “We’re in the middle of a fire tech revolution that’s going on largely here in the state of California, but also all over the world, and yet our current methods and our organizational structures aren’t doing enough to get these tools to market.”
Stern also mentioned some specific technologies he’s found interesting.
“Whether it’s an autonomous bot that can ride ... with a firefighter alongside of a roadside to ensure that brush doesn’t become an ignition source or new mobility solutions and detection technologies that can detect fires by sight or even by sound, there’s all kinds of new cutting-edge technology that we think emergency personnel should be equipped with to provide solutions to destruction that are tearing down our lives, our communities and driving up insurance rates in the process, as well as our utility bills,” he said.
The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to pass the bill on to the Emergency Management Committee. That committee meets next on April 14.
The bill received support from almost 20 organizations, according to the committee analysis. That includes Megafire Action, which sponsored the bill, as well as local fire protection agencies and nonprofits such as the Tahoe Fund. The California Association of Realtors offered support on the condition that the bill is amended to allow nonprofits representing homeowners to apply for the new grant. The bill received no opposition.
