U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce) has introduced a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the FireGuard program, which utilizes Department of Defense satellites to detect wildfires and distribute information to firefighting efforts on the ground.

“Regions like mine understand the existential threat of wildfires, and the need to use every tool at our disposal to detect, track and prevent fires before they start,” said Whitesides. “Reauthorizing the FireGuard program will enhance our local, state, and federal wildfire response, especially on the first day a fire starts to spread, and help keep Americans safe.”

“As wildfires become more intense and frequent, we must give fire departments every tool possible to help combat blazes and protect communities,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal. “The bipartisan FireGuard Reauthorization Act will further build on our previous work to leverage Department of Defense capabilities to quickly identify and respond to wildfires.”

“As California’s Insurance Commissioner, I saw firsthand how destructive wildfires are: lost family members, homes destroyed, and a lifetime of memories turned to ash. Every day, I hoped for new detection tools that would allow us to contain the fires before they got out of hand,” said John Garamendi. “This commonsense bill ensures that firefighters will have every tool at their disposal to fight wildfires and keep our communities safe.”

“Colorado is no stranger to wildfires,” said Rep. Jeff Crank. “The FireGuard Reauthorization Act will assure our federal, state, and local partners are equipped with detection tools to ensure wildfires are tracked and responded to properly to keep our communities safe.”

The FireGuard Reauthorization Act would:

Establish new pathways to review and integrate satellite and aerial data from private, nonprofit, and public sector sources to improve wildfire detection.

Require the Department of Defense to inform Congress about the efficacy of the program, including how accurate detections are compared to final fire perimeters, and how quickly alerts reach local responders.

Extend the program for five additional years.

Whitesides is joined by Reps. Jeff Crank (R-Colorado Springs, CO-5), Jason Crow (D-CO-6), Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara, CA-24) and John Garamendi (D-Vallejo, CA-8) as original cosponsors.

Whitesides brings a deep personal commitment to solving America’s wildfire crisis. Before entering Congress, he co-founded an organization dedicated to combating megafires and advancing fire science. Now representing California’s 27th District, he is focused on helping Southern California recover from recent devastating firestorms. As a member of the bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, Whitesides has championed legislation to protect firefighter pay, improve disaster recovery and invest in frontline resilience.