By FireRescue1 Staff
NORTH HIGHLANDS, Calif. — Former Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Gov. Gavin Newsom in a tour of CAL FIRE’s latest firefighting arsenal, seeing new equipment and technology that firefighters are using for fire emergencies.
Gov. Newsom approved a $1 billion emergency preparedness budget to ensure that California is ready for any disaster, 13 CSB Sacramento reported. The budget includes funds for a C-130 air tanker and firefighting helicopters.
During the tour, Schwarzenegger said he supports the upgrades, recalling the struggles during his time in office when the Los Angeles County experienced the most devasting fire to date with the 2009 Station Fire.
“We didn’t have the assets; we didn’t have the equipment. So many times, we had to study the weather and figure out where should we send our assets,” Schwarzenegger said.
It was fantastic to join Governor @GavinNewsom and @CALFIRE_CHIEF to see CA’s new firefighting aircraft. The best firefighters in the world deserve the best equipment in the world. And now they’ll have it. pic.twitter.com/4dio5scc5E
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) August 1, 2019
Gov. Newsom recently signed an executive order to add almost 400 firefighters and 13 new engines to help with this upcoming fire season.