Amended in Assembly May 27, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 49

Introduced by Senator Berryhill

(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, begin insert Bates, end insert Gaines, begin insert Hall, end insert Huff, Jackson, begin insert Monning, end insert begin insert Moorlach, end insert Morrell, and Pavley)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Travis Allen, Bigelow, begin insert Brough, Chávez, end insert Dahle, begin insert Gallagher, end insert Lopez, and Olsen)

April 29, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 49—Relative to Wildfire Awareness Week.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 49, as amended, Berryhill. Wildfire Awareness Week.

This measure would declare the week of May 3, 2015, to May 9, 2015, inclusive, as Wildfire Awareness Week to raise public awareness and encourage all residents of California to be prepared for wildfires.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Wildfires significantly impact California’s
environmental, economic, and social well-being; and

WHEREAS, California is a dynamic place to live, work, and
recreate, with a diverse ecological environment; and

WHEREAS, The current drought and significantly increased
drought-induced mortality of trees and other natural vegetation
throughout the state create ideal conditions for severe wildfire risk;
and

WHEREAS, Approximately 95 percent of wildfires in California
are begin delete human-caused end delete begin insert human caused end insert and, therefore, are preventable;
and

WHEREAS, The history of California wildfires has seen
unparalleled devastation, with wildfires comparable to the world’s
most destructive fires in the past 150 years, and Californians should
not forget the lessons learned and impact from previous wildfires,
including, the 1977 Spanish Ranch begin delete fire end delete begin insert Fire end insert near Santa Maria, the
1970 Laguna begin delete fire end delete begin insert Fire end insert near San Diego, the 2003 Cedar begin delete fire end delete begin insert Fire end insert
east of San Diego, the 2007 Southern California fires, and the 2013
Rim Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest that became the third
largest wildfire in California’s history; and

WHEREAS, Wildfire suppression costs only represent a small
portion of the overall economic impacts and do not reflect the total
cost of large and damaging fires; and

WHEREAS, Residents must be encouraged to move from the
expectation of being protected from a wildfire to the understanding
that they must be prepared to survive a wildfire; and

WHEREAS, To do so, residents of this state will need to acquire
the knowledge and skills to prepare their homes to survive a
wildfire and to take action before the wildfire occurs; and

WHEREAS, The educational tools for preventing wildfires and
protecting against them when they occur already exist; and

WHEREAS, It is essential that we reach out to our communities
and individual homeowners with this information, because, armed
with knowledge, residents of this state can learn to live safely in
a wildfire environment; and

WHEREAS, “Wildfire Awareness Week” is a valuable
opportunity for California’s fire agencies and communities to
reduce the risk of wildfires and increase public safety and
awareness through education on fire safety, preparation, and
prevention; and

WHEREAS, Residents who implement appropriate prefire
activities improve the survivability of their homes during a wildfire;
now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the week
of May 3, 2015, to May 9, 2015, inclusive, as Wildfire Awareness
Week to raise public awareness and encourage all residents of
California to be prepared for wildfires.

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.