At least one program with direct benefit for wildfire detection sustained cuts in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May revision to the proposed 2020-2021 fiscal year state budget. But, as a communications official at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) told Techwire, the agency is moving forward this summer on a key accomplishment closely linked to the governor’s earliest moves on innovation. Among the takeaways:
• A wildfire management project set in motion last year by Request for Innovative Ideas (RFI2), the “flexible approach to procurement” Gov. Gavin Newsom created in January 2019 by Executive Order, is moving beyond proof-of-concept (POC). CalFire worked with the California Department of Technology, the Department of General Services and vendor Technosylva on a cloud-based subscription product to help firefighters predict the path of a wildfire. Christine McMorrow, CalFire resource management communication officer, said the department has entered into a three-year contract with Technosylva and will begin rolling out its software to integrate with Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) systems between July 31 and Dec. 31. Ultimately, it will be deployed with 21 CalFire units statewide and at the counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Marin, San Bernardino and Ventura, with which the department contracts to protect state fire “responsibility areas.” The software, McMorrow said, isn’t field-based but can generate predictions on fire behavior “within minutes.”
• Newsom’s revised budget eliminated a proposed expenditure of $80 million from the General Fund for Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to “better inform resources management and hazard assessment decisions.” And CalFire’s budget would drop by 3.6 percent, from about $2.7 billion to about $2.6 billion, under the May revision. However, it’s not entirely clear where that will land; legislators approved a “placeholder” budget last week, meeting a state deadline, and continue to hammer out final details with Newsom’s office. H.D. Palmer, California Department of Finance deputy director for external affairs, told Techwire last month that the cut emphasizes the importance of securing federal funding to “maintain adequate budgets for core services for government, such as what CalFire provides.” Through federal aid, lawmakers have hoped to avoid around $14 billion in cuts the governor proposed in May, and which would occur July 1 absent financial assistance from Congress.
• CalFire is in the final selection process on a key technology position. Earlier this year, the department had sought a deputy director for technology to advise its director, chief deputy director and state fire marshal on programs and policies related to technology. A Career Executive Assignment, the position has a monthly salary range of $10,360 to $12,341 and the application deadline was April 11. An announcement is likely within a week to 10 days, McMorrow said, with the goal of having the new deputy director in place by the end of July.
