As Trump administration retreats, California joins forces with Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact
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Sep 5, 2025

As Trump administration retreats, California joins forces with Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact

What you need to know: California is joining with other Western states and Canadian provinces to boost firefighting response and preparedness efforts.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that California has officially joined the Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact (NW Compact), becoming the newest member in a network of U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and territories committed to collaborating to prevent and suppress wildfires.

The partnership comes as the Trump administration makes dangerous cuts to the U.S. Forest Service, which threatens the safety of communities across the state and country.

The NW Compact, established in 1998, allows members to share firefighting resources, technology, and expertise when wildfires exceed the capacity of a single jurisdiction. Existing members include Alberta, Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Hawaii.

While the Trump administration retreats from firefighting, California is proud to join forces with our northwestern neighbors to fight catastrophic wildfire. We're all on the front lines of this worsening wildfire threat – and by joining our collective resources together, we will be even more effective in protecting our communities.

Governor Gavin Newsom

California's landscapes face increasing wildfire threats due to climate change. In recent years, hotter temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme wind events have intensified fire risk.

Joining the NW Compact gives California additional access to firefighting resources and expertise during major wildfire incidents. It also allows California's firefighters to gain experience assisting with fire suppression efforts in other member regions, experience that strengthens readiness at home. Nevada joins the NW Compact alongside California in 2025, bringing the total member states and provinces to thirteen.

"Wildfire is no longer a problem that stops at our borders and state lines," said Joe Tyler, Director and Fire Chief of CAL FIRE. "By joining the NW Compact, we're building stronger connections, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that when fires threaten, we can respond faster and more effectively."

Additional information about the Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact can be found here.

California's unprecedented wildfire readiness

As part of the state's ongoing investment in wildfire resilience and emergency response, CAL FIRE has significantly expanded its workforce over the past five years by adding an average of 1,800 full-time and 600 seasonal positions annually – nearly double that of the previous administration. Over the next four years and beyond, CAL FIRE will be hiring thousands of additional firefighters, natural resource professionals, and support personnel to meet the state's growing demands.

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In recent months, the Governor has announced millions of dollars in investments to protect communities from wildfire – with $135 million available for new and ongoing prevention projects and $72 million going out the door to projects across the state. This is part of over $5 billion the Newsom administration, in collaboration with the legislature, has invested in wildfire and forest resilience since 2019. Additionally, 90 new vegetation management projects spanning over 21,000 acres have already been fast-tracked to approval under the streamlined process provided by the Governor's March 2025 state of emergency proclamation.

This builds on consecutive years of intensive and focused work by California to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires. New, bold moves to streamline state-level regulatory processes builds long-term efforts already underway in California to increase wildfire response and forest management in the face of a hotter, drier climate.

The state's efforts are in stark contrast to the Trump administration's dangerous cuts to the U.S. Forest Service, which also threatens the safety of communities across the state. The U.S. Forest Service has lost 10% of all positions and 25% of positions outside of direct wildfire response – both of which are likely to impact wildfire response this year. In recent weeks, the Trump administration proposed a massive reorganization that would shutter the Pacific Regional Forest Service office and other regional Forest Service offices across the West, compounding staff cuts and voluntary resignations across the agency.

To learn more about preparedness, visit ReadyforWildfire.org.

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