Office of the State Fire Marshal Newsletter – Highlighting the Critical Role of Community Risk Reduction

January 2026

The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is the CAL FIRE program that protects life and property through the development and application of fire prevention, engineering, training and education, and enforcement. The team at CAL FIRE - OSFM are dedicated professionals committed to serving and safeguarding the people, property, and resources of California.

Welcome to the January 2026 edition of the CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Newsletter! Observed each January, Community Risk Reduction Week is an important opportunity to focus on proactive strategies that reduce fire and life safety risks before emergencies occur. As California begins the new year, CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) continues to lead with innovation, education, and public safety initiatives that reflect its mission to protect people, property, and natural resources.

Click Here to Read the State Fire Marshal’s Full Message

2025 Office-Wide Accomplishments

In 2025, CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal raised the bar for fire prevention and community safety across California.

Here's how we turned action into impact:

🏡 Hardened 92 homes & added 500 Firewise communities (1,481 total!)

🛻 Completed 326,000 defensible space inspections (+27K from last year)

🌲 Executed 922 fuel reduction projects, treating 179,000 acres

📚 Delivered 1.23M hours of fire training through 3,355 courses

💰 82 grants awarded for local fire prevention projects totaling $62 million

✅ Achieved a 100% Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) safety score

Learn More

CAL FIRE Presents: Inside the State Fire Marshal's Office

Join hosts Tim Spears and Kara Garrett, along with a variety of guests, as they explore the life-saving work performed each day by the men and women of CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal. If you are work in fire prevention, for a fire department, or are interested in how the Office of the State Fire Marshal and our partners protects life and property then this podcast is for you!

Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for new episodes starting in early February.

Subscribe on YouTube

Subscribe on Spotify

Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Week was January 19–26, 2026

CRR Week highlights the critical role Community Risk Reduction plays in keeping our communities safe. No matter the size, type, or location of a department, CRR strategies can be used to identify risks, prevent emergencies, and strengthen community resilience.

By integrating CRR principles into daily operations, fire departments can improve public safety, reduce preventable incidents, and better protect the lives of both community members and firefighters.

Learn More About CRR

Outreach Materials

Effective emergency responses can mitigate the loss of an unintentional injury and save lives.

CAL FIRE - Office of the State Fire Marshal works hard to ensure our first responders are fully and properly trained for all-hazards response, and that they have the appropriate equipment for every call for assistance – with the efficient use of resources and a timely response.

Education raises awareness and knowledge of fire safety and is the first step of producing low-risk behavior.

CRR is a multi-stakeholder process used to identify risk factors unique to your community and mitigate them using a coordinated, strategic approach.

Did you know that we have a CRR Toolkit that provides free educational materials from CAL FIRE?

Engineering new products and technologies – or modifying products or environments – can help prevent or mitigate injury and death.

Did you know that smoke alarms, car seats, airbags, and helmets are all the results of engineering innovations? It wasn’t long ago that these everyday items weren’t the norm, but their creation has helped save countless lives.

Enforcement reduces risks (hazards) through legislation and enforcement. Enforcement is typically done through inspections with penalties for non-compliance.

The Fire and Life Safety Division is the main entity within the OSFM responsible for the application of laws and regulations related to fire and panic safety.

The OSFM has jurisdictional authority for enforcement of these laws and regulations in State-Owned buildings, Specified State-Occupied buildings, and State Institutions.

Here are some ways that you can use financial means, like rebates or grants, to encourage risk-reduction behaviors or technologies.

CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants Program
CAL FIRE Tribal Wildfire Resilience Grant Program
California Wildfire Mitigation Program
Firewise Communities
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

2025 State Fire Training Report

The CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal – State Fire Training Division’s 2025 Annual Report is now available. This year’s report highlights key areas of achievement and recognition, including FY 2024 statistics, State Fire Training accomplishments, and updates from the California Fire Academy System. It also features four in-depth articles exploring Course Surveys, the Importance of Higher Education, Balancing Readiness and Realism, and Behavioral Health. State Fire Training is proud to share this comprehensive overview of the program’s continued improvements, growth, and successes.

Click Here to View the Report

Commitment in Action: Promotional and Badge Pinning Ceremony

In November, we held a promotional and badge pinning ceremony to honor our CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal team members.

State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant swore in the new members, while CAL FIRE and OSFM leadership and co-workers were in attendance to celebrate. We loved hosting all the family members and friends as the new and promoted CAL FIRE staff were pinned with their new badges or celebrated a career achievement.

Please join us in congratulating the following, who were honored at the ceremony:

• Chris Ramey | Deputy Chief

• Shawn Arnold | Battalion Chief

• Spencer Mallinger | Battalion Chief

• Kevin Merkh | Battalion Chief

• Brian Olsen | Battalion Chief

• Arend Tosti | Battalion Chief

Fire Engineering and Investigations:

• Brice Bennett | Division Chief

• Thomas Setnan | Associate Governmental Program Analyst

Pipeline Safety and CUP:

• Yunmiao Liang | Pipeline Safety Engineer