Officials from Australia’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have returned to Australia after leading a delegation of state and territory fire and emergency management Commissioners and Chief Officers to visit their counterparts in California from 9-18 June 2025.
The nine-day visit follows the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January and provided an opportunity to show support to all impacted by the event; renew the longstanding fire-fighting cooperation between Australia and California; and equip both regions to deliver best practice in fire prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
Officials also exchanged lessons learned during the disaster, sharing wildfire management knowledge and best practices across the following areas:
- Building codes, preparedness and readiness
- Response to wildfires and urban conflagration
- Mass evacuation of urban communities
- Aerial firefighting strategies and limitations
- Lithium-ion batteries and their effects on conflagration and environmental contamination
- Environmental recovery and clean up including hazardous materials, temporary accommodation and rebuild policies.
The visit supported the Australia-California Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Australia and California on climate and clean energy, including knowledge sharing on wildfire resilience.
Delegates from South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory met with officials from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The visit was sponsored and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Quote attributable to NEMA Deputy Coordinator-General, Emergency Management and Response, Joe Buffone:
“This is an important opportunity to prepare ahead of the next Higher Risk Weather Season and I’d like to thank our Californian partners for sharing their experiences, so we can better inform our fire management and prevention strategies back home.”
Quote attributable to Consul-General Los Angeles, Tanya Bennett:
“This visit is a show of solidarity to everyone - Australians and Americans - impacted by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and renews our ongoing readiness to support each other during natural disasters.”
Quote attributable to Cal OES Director, Nancy Ward:
“Australia and California have a long partnership built on mutual challenges and shared values. We are honoured to work alongside our Australian partners to support our communities against the threat of wildfires and other complex disasters.”
ENDS
