Office of Emergency Services: wildfire aerial response program.

The bill's scope expanded from studying only the feasibility of making the SoCal Edison-funded QRF helitanker program permanent in statute to also evaluating and developing recommendations for implementing a broader wildfire aerial response program providing year-round, 24/7 rapid aerial suppression capabilities available to local fire agencies upon request.

The Office of Emergency Services must now act in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) both in establishing the working group and in appointing its members.

The working group must now consider specific program elements including: a fleet of firefighting aircraft capable of night operations, reconnaissance aircraft with night vision and infrared technology, a mobile retardant base, and support personnel (mechanics, logistics staff, relief pilots).

The working group must develop recommendations on cost-sharing and operational models (including a structure where local fire agencies lease aircraft and cover operational costs while the state covers standby costs), deployment request protocols for local agencies, resource staging and strategic placement, and whether to implement as a pilot program, full-scale statewide initiative, or not at all.

A new reporting requirement mandates the working group submit findings including feasibility analysis, cost projections, and deployment strategies to the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management and Senate Committee on Governmental Organization by December 31, 2027. The report requirement sunsets on December 31, 2031.

Working group membership criteria expanded from people knowledgeable about the QRF helitanker program to those familiar with wildfire aviation response programs, and must now include representatives from county fire departments, CAL FIRE, and OES.

A flexibility clause was added stating that the specific elements listed for consideration are for evaluation purposes only and shall not be construed as mandatory requirements for any subsequent program design.

The fiscal committee review designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now triggers fiscal analysis, likely due to potential state costs associated with standby fleet operations under the proposed cost-sharing model.

The bill changed from stating legislative intent to make the QRF helitanker program permanent, to requiring OES to establish a feasibility study working group by December 31, 2026. The program is not made permanent by this bill; instead, a process to evaluate whether it should be made permanent is created.

The Director of Emergency Services must appoint members to the working group who are knowledgeable about the QRF helitanker program.

A specific deadline of December 31, 2026 was added for OES to establish the working group.

A new Article 24 (Section 8669.9) was added to Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, giving the bill a formal statutory home rather than existing only as a findings-and-declarations act.

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amended bill now requires fiscal committee review, likely due to the new operational requirements placed on OES.