Friday, January 9, 2026

When did California Department of Forestry become Cal Fire?

I was a Fire Lookout when they still had these in 1985 and 1986. This allowed me on my 6 months off to go to India, Nepal, Thailand and Japan from December 1985 until April 1986 so I could return by May to return to the Fire Lookout one more time. The Fire lookout over looked the Sierras across the San Joaquin Valley (Sacramento Valley) and when I first came on that year it was really beautiful to see the Snow Capped peaks of the High Sierras all covered with snow from the winter.

The hard part about going to Asia was that we had to get people to run our business, but the 6 months off from the lookout working for California Department of Forestry from about October to May allowed us to actually to to Asia from December 1985 to April 1986. 

MY wife wanted me to take this job because of the amazing health care benefits if I did this because we couldn't really afford health care insurance with our business because we were raising 3 children at that time from ages 10 to 14 years old. So, since they were used to home Schooling from 1980 to1985 in Mt. Shasta we took them with us for this amazing trip to Asia and the Himalayan Mountains. We trekked as high as 10,000 feet elevation in the snow then and stayed in Shermontang and Tarkye Gyan, Nepal deep in the Himalayas. 

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The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) officially became known as
CAL FIRE on January 1, 2007, a name change enacted through legislation to better reflect its broader firefighting and emergency response roles beyond just forestry, as noted in articles from Gilroy Dispatch and this Facebook post from CAL FIRE. 
Key Details:
  • Official Date: January 1, 2007.
  • Reason for Change: To provide a simpler, clearer name that acknowledges the agency's extensive fire protection and emergency services, not just forestry management, according to.
  • Legislation: The change was approved by a unanimous legislature and signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to this Facebook post. 

  • “CAL FIRE” became the official shorthand for... | Facebook
    May 23, 2024 — The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) changed its name to CAL FIRE on January 1, 2007. The n...
    Facebook


  • CDF Changes Name to CAL FIRE - Gilroy Dispatch
    Jan 30, 2007 — By. Marilyn Dubil. January 31, 2007. Morgan Hill. – After more than 19 years as the California Department of. Forestry...
    Gilroy Dispatch
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