Today, Representative Mike Garcia’s (CA-27) Fire Weather Development Act passed through the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on a bipartisan basis. This legislation would improve fire weather forecasting, detection, and collaboration to better support communities vulnerable to wildfires.

“This bill will strengthen our nation’s fire weather capabilities across the board,” said Rep. Garcia. “The human-to-wildland interface is growing, especially in North LA suburbs such as the ones in CA-27. It’s critical that we invest in revolutionizing the way we forecast fire weather, coordinate government agencies, use modern technologies, and disseminate information to firefighters and civilians. This bipartisan bill will do exactly that, complementing the groundwork laid out in my Fire Information and Reaction Enhancement Act.

“It will establish a modern program to improve emergency communications; streamline data collection for local communities; improve research and monitoring tools, including the use of unmanned drone technology; and so much more. In short, this is a critical force multiplier for our firefighters. 

“Last year, there were almost 69,000 wildfires that burned nearly 7.6 million acres across the country. This bill is a common-sense, necessary step toward better protecting American lives and property, and I’m proud to introduce it alongside my colleagues from both sides of the aisle.”