The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and Cal Fire renewed their California Fire Master Agreement for five years on December 12. The agreement ensures a multi-agency approach, allowing shared personnel, equipment, and resources for joint wildfire fighting, fuels reduction, training, and dispatching. This mutual aid is credited for rapid initial attack, with Forest Service firefighters containing over 96% of the region’s 8,000+ wildfires this year across the 18 national forests they manage.