California: Governor Newsom announces major hiring milestone with over 1,000 young adults entering the wildland firefighting force

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May 8, 2026

Governor Newsom announces major hiring milestone with over 1,000 young adults entering the wildland firefighting force

Mendocino fire line uses hand tools to cut down to bare mineral soil. May 2025. (Photo Credit: California Conservation Corps)

What you need to know: Governor Newsom today announced a major hiring milestone for the wildland firefighting force with more than 1,000 young adults trained, certified, and hired to full-time and seasonal wildland fire positions since 2018 in a partnership between the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and CAL FIRE.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a major milestone in his commitment to build the world's premier wildland firefighting force. Since 2018, CAL FIRE has hired over 1,000 young adults, who were trained and certified by the California Conservation Corps, to full-time and seasonal wildland fire positions.

Since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, the state has grown the number of CCC-CAL FIRE partnered firefighting crews by nearly 450%, adding critical resources in protecting communities across California. These record statewide investments are critical to ensuring California continues to build a trained wildland firefighting force that's ready to serve.

California is paving the way for meaningful career pathways in emergency response and wildfire preparedness. I'm proud to see the work carried out by these young adults who are committed to making their communities more resilient while leaving a lasting environmental impact. With the climate crisis leading to more extreme weather events, it's more imperative than ever that we cultivate the next generation of wildland firefighters.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Investing in the next generation of leaders

When Governor Newsom took office, the CCC and CAL FIRE jointly operated six hand crews at three locations with 90 Corpsmembers. Today, that partnership runs 33 crews across 13 locations with more than 450 Corpsmembers actively training and serving, an expansion that made 1,000 firefighter hires possible.

Since 2020, in partnership with the Legislature, the state has invested $238 million in the CCC to build its wildland firefighter training and response capacity. An additional $180 million has funded the CCC Forestry Corps, fuel reduction, and community hardening to build upon the state's wildfire resilience efforts.

Corpsmembers aged 18 to 25, and military veterans up to 29, receive a monthly stipend while completing all the wildland firefighting certifications CAL FIRE requires. No prior experience is necessary. Celebrating its 50th year of service, the CCC has spent five decades turning that same entry point into careers in natural resources and firefighting for young adults throughout California.

In 2025, Corpsmembers supported wildfire, base camp support, and forest-health activities:

• CCC fire crews were dispatched to 355 wildfire incidents statewide, including the Palisades and Eaton Fires in Los Angeles. CCC fire crews totaled 415,930 emergency response hours.
• Corpsmembers assisted state and federal partners at base camp for 33 incidents in California, plus one out-of-state camp. There were 173 dispatches totaling 347,488 hours.
• Corpsmembers in the CCC Forestry Corps program reduced fire risk and improved forest health. Together, they treated 1,515 acres, removed 1,700 trees for fuel management, and planted 8,000 trees to support reforestation.

"The Corpsmembers CAL FIRE hired put in the work while they were with us, long days on fire lines, coursework in the classroom, and the physical demands that come with this job," said JP Patton, Director, California Conservation Corps. "Thanks to our CAL FIRE partners, we have built a pathway that turns that commitment into a lasting career."

"Corpsmembers bring a level of discipline, adaptability, and commitment to public service that makes them outstanding candidates for careers with CAL FIRE," said CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. "Their training and real-world experience position them to succeed on the frontlines and beyond."

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California builds the world's most powerful firefighting force

Governor Newsom, backed by the Legislature, has transformed California's firefighting capacity from the ground up — investing billions to expand the workforce, and opening new training academies to keep communities safe year-round.

Historic investments-statewide
Since 2019, California has significantly expanded its firefighting capacity by investing in personnel, equipment, and training to protect communities from increasingly severe wildfires and extreme weather events. Under the Newsom administration, California's fire protection budget nearly doubled—from $2 billion to $3.8 billion and more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience and forest health projects. Governor Newsom and the Legislature have also invested over $350 million for wildfire safety projects on federal lands — which make up 58% of California's forestlands. At the same time, the budget for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)—the state's leadership hub for responding to and rebuilding after major wildfires—increased from $1.8 billion to $4.5 billion.

Training the next generation of frontline leaders
In July 2025, California opened a new CAL FIRE training academy in Merced County, the Atwater Training Center to accommodate an expanding workforce. The Atwater Training Center is the fourth addition to CAL FIRE academies, joining Ione, Redding, and Riverside. Academies specialize in leadership, aviation, and equipment operations programs. In October 2025, California celebrated the first graduation of company officers at the new Atwater Training Center. Company officers are CAL FIRE's frontline leaders in emergency response, leading crews during emergencies and overseeing readiness, training, and prevention efforts during non-emergency periods. In 2025 alone, CAL FIRE trained more than 650 new company officers. In 2026, CAL FIRE has graduated about 60 new company officers, and they're on track to reach over 600 by the end of the year.

Los Padres Center Corpsmember entering and exiting a crew vehicle. April 2026. (Photo Credit: California Conservation Corps)

Building the world's best firefighting workforce
Since 2019, CAL FIRE has nearly doubled the fire protection workforce—growing from 5,829 to 11,436 positions. Over the past five years, Governor Newsom, in partnership with the Legislature, expanded CAL FIRE's firefighting workforce by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually—nearly double that of the previous administration. Last year, Governor Newsom launched a new recruitment effort to hire more firefighters and empower prospective applicants with comprehensive information about diverse career paths. For more information about career opportunities ranging from firefighting to land use planning and information technology, visit JoinCALFIRE.com.

Los Padres Toro 1 Fire crew hike in the Santa Margarita hills. April 2026. (Photo Credit: California Conservation Corps)

Mendocino Fire crew member sawyer punches in to create a handline. May 2025. (Photo Credit: California Conservation Corps)

Trump weakens wildfire preparedness while California continues to lead

President Trump has made dramatic cuts to wildfire readiness across the United States and especially in rural and high-fire-risk California communities.

• In the final year of the Biden administration, the Forest Service treated more than 4 million acres of hazardous vegetation to reduce wildfire risk. Under Trump, that number plummeted to 2.6 million — a drop of nearly 1.5 million acres heading into what experts are warning could be an extreme fire season.
• Trump slashed prescribed burns by nearly half, dropping from over 1.6 million acres in 2024 to roughly 900,000 acres in 2025.
• Trump has proposed eliminating annual block grants that support state, tribal, private landowner, and urban forestry programs, which is funding that directly supports wildfire prevention partners across California.
• Trump is also turning his back on California communities trying to rebuild more resilient after wildfires. In April 2025, Trump cut a $35 million grant for Napa to reduce wildfire threats and build back more resilience after devastating fires. The Trump administration said the program was wasteful and ineffective. California is actively challenging the Trump administration to restore critical funds for the people of Napa, in addition to 86 other California hazard mitigation projects.

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