Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the disbanded wildfire team, Team Blaze, was “inadequately trained” despite his administration awarding them for having “exceeded expectations” in 2021, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
Team Blaze, a volunteer wildfire unit, was shut down by the Newsom administration in January 2024, according to the Free Beacon. The disbanding then made the California National Guard incapable of sending a complete force of firefighters to fight the January 2025 wildfire until 10 days after it started, the outlet previously claimed.
Newsom’s press office responded to the Free Beacon’s article on Jan. 24, saying the claim was “absurd.”
“California transitioned a small, inadequately trained volunteer reserve component into a huge professional, highly trained, firefighting force,” the press office stated in a post on X. (RELATED: ‘This Is So Disgusting’: Joe Rogan Unloads On Gavin Newsom For ‘Creepy’ Behavior In Front Of Wildfire Wreckage)
Absolutely absurd claims from a pizzagate peddler.
California transitioned a small, inadequately trained volunteer reserve component into a huge professional, highly trained, firefighting force.
Since @CAGovernor Newsom took office, @TheCalGuard has nearly TRIPLED its… https://t.co/ilAXbL03lv
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 24, 2025
Military records obtained by the outlet show that, in 2021, the governor’s administration awarded the unit with one of the highest honors in the California State Guard — the Outstanding Unit Citation.
“Members of Team Blaze completed such advanced and diverse fire curriculum prior to activation that 100% of all members passed CAL FIRE wildland firefighting training,” the Outstanding Unit Citation stated.
“By providing the full spectrum of wildland firefighting, Team Blaze established a reputation of outstanding performance,” the citation continued.
The award recognized the efforts of Team Blaze during the 2021 Dixie Fire, one of the largest blazes in California history. The fire was active for 104 days, beginning in July 2021 and ending in October that same year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fire was spread across five counties and burned nearly a million acres.
“Team Blaze has far exceeded expectations,” the award said.
“How can they justify saying anything bad,” a former firefighter with Team Blaze told the Free Beacon. “They literally gave them a medal for being the best unit in the California State Guard.”
Jay Coggan, former California State Guard commanding general, who signed off on the team’s 2021 award, told the Beacon the 10 day delay could have been prevented if Newsom’s administration kept Team Blaze. Coggan said the team could have been in Los Angeles performing Type II handcrew duties within mere hours of the fire starting.
“I’m angry at what they said about my soldiers and airmen. Inadequately trained?” Coggan told the outlet. “The state guard is made up of over 1,200 dedicated volunteers who just want to keep people safe. They were so disrespected by the governor.”
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