Office of Emergency Services: wildfire response: SoCal Edison-funded helitanker program.

Assembly Member Petrie-Norris's legislation directs the Office of Emergency Services to evaluate making permanent the SoCal Edison-funded Quick Reaction Force (QRF) firefighting helitanker program, which currently serves fifteen Southern California counties.

The bill requires OES to establish a working group by December 31, 2026, to study the feasibility of codifying the QRF program in state statute. The Director of Emergency Services must appoint working group members with direct knowledge of the program's operations. According to the bill's findings, fire agencies within SoCal Edison's service territory have utilized the QRF program for wildfire response since its 2020 inception.

While the legislation creates a formal evaluation process, it does not mandate program changes or require new state funding. The working group's analysis could inform future legislative proposals regarding the program's permanent status and administration through the Office of Emergency Services. The bill adds these provisions as a new article in state law without modifying existing emergency response requirements or electrical utility obligations.