Subcommittee to Focus on Lessons Learned from Devastating 2017 Wildfires

The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management will hold a hearing next week to explore the lessons learned from the catastrophic 2017 wildfires, inform long-term policy solutions, and highlight the importance of mitigation, including provisions contained in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA), legislation which passed the House in December.

The Subcommittee will hear from witnesses representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), as well as state and local emergency management agencies and fire departments.

2017 included one of the worst wildfire seasons in United States history. Nationwide, over 66,000 wildfires burned over 9.7 million acres of land. In California, alone, over 7,000 wildfires burned through over a half-million acres of land. In all, wildfires impacted 10 states across the Western United States, including Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

This hearing of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, chaired by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), is entitled, “Impacts of the 2017 Wildfires in the United States." The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

Witnesses (Updated March 19, 2018):

Mr. Robert J. Fenton, Jr., Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Mr. Mark Ghilarducci, Director, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, State of California

Ms. Susan Gorin, Supervisor, First District, Sonoma County California

Mr. Eric Holly, Deputy Fire Warden, Deputy Director of Emergency Services, Stanislaus County, California

Mr. Thomas Jenkins, President and Chairman of the Board, International Association of Fire Chiefs

More information about the hearing, including testimony, additional background information, and live webcast, will be posted here as it becomes available.