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May 20, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 741—DESIGNATING MAY 2026 AS “NATIONAL WILDFIRE
PREPAREDNESS MONTH”
Ms. HIRONO submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 741
Whereas wildfires across the contiguous United States,
Alaska, Hawaii, and the United States territories have
increased in scale, complexity, and severity, fire seasons
have lengthened in many parts of the United States to
encompass the entire year, and wildfire has become a threat
in regions of the United States that have little or no
history of wildfire;
Whereas, in the United States from 2016 to 2025, 634,052
wildfires burned, consuming a total of 70,543,367 acres;
Whereas, in the United States from January 1 to May 1,
2026, 1,848,210 acres have burned, which is 94 percent higher
than the previous 10-year average, and 24,066 wildfires have
been reported, which is 50 percent higher than the previous
10-year average;
Whereas, from May 2026 to August 2026, over 40 percent of
States in the United States are expected to face above normal
risk for significant wildfire events;
Whereas nearly 85 percent of wildland fires in the United
States are caused by humans;
Whereas Federal wildfire suppression efforts cost more than
$3,000,000,000 per year, and the total cost of wildfire
damage across the United States is estimated to be tens to
hundreds of billions of dollars per year;
Whereas significant investments in proactive planning,
mitigation, and risk reduction are necessary for the United
States to counteract increasingly severe wildfire risk,
damage, and loss;
Whereas firefighters are on the front lines and are at an
increased risk of developing cancer and respiratory diseases
because they are exposed to smoke and hazardous chemicals in
the line of duty;
Whereas the effects of long-term exposure to wildfire smoke
will harm more people, as particulate pollution can cause
asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and even death;
Whereas preventative measures exist to help individuals and
communities increase their fire resilience through—
(1) reducing the risk of home ignition by using fire-
resistant construction materials and maintaining yard
vegetation;
(2) community planning that reduces home wildfire exposure
and increases access for firefighters;
(3) evacuation planning and assistance for people and their
animals;
(4) vegetation and forest management; and
(5) limited use of combustibles during high heat or drier
seasons, including fireworks, exhaust, and open flames; and
Whereas a nationally designated Wildfire Preparedness
Month—
(1) increases awareness of the threat of wildfires and the
knowledge of lifesaving and fire-mitigation practices; and
(2) promotes educational initiatives, encourages community
programming, and increases overall knowledge and
preparedness: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) designates May 2026 as “National Wildfire Preparedness
Month”;
(2) encourages increased awareness of, and preparedness
for, the threat of wildfires and subsequent suppression
efforts at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels of
government, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian
communities, and by nongovernmental organizations and
communities; and
(3) supports resources and educational initiatives that
communicate how communities at risk of exposure to wildfire
hazards can take preventative measures, including home
hardening, land management practices that reduce or remove
highly flammable grasses and shrubs, instituting or enhancing
early warning systems, reducing unplanned human ignitions,
reducing adverse health impacts from smoke and fire exposure,
and safely and efficiently evacuating people and their
animals.