California has significantly strengthened CAL FIRE’s ability to develop the next generation of firefighter leaders. Since 2019, the Department has increased its annual academies from six to a planned 15 Company Officer Academies in 2026, graduating more than 3,300 Company Officers along the way. As a result, CAL FIRE is better equipped, more effectively led, and increasingly prepared to protect California’s people, property, and natural resources. Nearly 200 Company Officers have already graduated in 2026.
Since 2019, CAL FIRE has nearly doubled the number of 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.