Fire prevention: prescribed fire: state contracts: maps.

(1) Existing law requires all contracts entered into by a state agency for the acquisition of goods or services, as specified, to be void unless and until approved by the Department of General Services. Existing law requires a state agency to secure at least 3 competitive bids or proposals for each contract. Existing law establishes exceptions to these requirements for specified contracts. This bill would include in the list of exceptions a contract entered into by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the purpose of providing logistical support for large-scale prescribed fire operations, as provided. (2) Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to do certain things with respect to fires, including provide fire prevention and firefighting implements and apparatus, organize fire crews and patrols, and establish observation stations and other necessary structures. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2026, to identify and map a comprehensive network of potential operational delineations that can be used for strategic wildfire response or the proactive use of prescribed fire, as provided. The bill would require the Fire and Resource Assessment Program in the department, on or before July 1, 2025, and updated annually thereafter, to develop maps of the severity of impacts from wildfires, as provided. The bill would also require the department to annually review the effects of recent fires in the context of community safety and ecological restoration goals to identify priority opportunities for prescribed fire that can further manage hazardous fuel conditions.