PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE | DARRELL ROBERTS

Election 2026: Why it Matters

California firefighters know what it means to answer the call when the stakes are high. We see the challenges facing our communities firsthand, and we understand that the decisions made by elected leaders can have a direct impact on our jobs, our families and the communities we serve.

That is why this election matters.

From City Hall to the halls of Congress, the people elected this year will make decisions that affect California’s professional firefighters for years to come. They will shape public safety budgets, staffing levels, retirement security, workplace protections, and the resources available to protect our communities.

ON RETIREMENT SECURITY … the governor, legislators and local leaders will shape policies that affect the retirement security of current and future firefighters.

ON YOUR SAFETY … the Legislature, governor, and local leaders will make decisions that affect workplace safety, firefighter health, emergency response and the resources available to do our jobs safely.

ON EMS … local elected leaders will make decisions about EMS systems and the role the fire service plays, access to federal cost recovery for transporting agencies, and wall-time policy and enforcement that impact every member.

ON STAFFING … local elected leaders will make decisions about department budgets, staffing, and the level of emergency services available to their communities.

But elections are about more than simply casting a ballot. They are about building relationships and making sure our elected officials understand the realities of the fire service.

The city councilmember who visits your station today could be your state senator tomorrow. The relationships we build now can help ensure firefighters have a voice at every level of government.

That is why political engagement cannot be something we do only during election season. It starts with knowing who represents you, getting to know them and making sure they understand what firefighters see every day.

Invite your city council member to tour your station. Meet with your county supervisor. Attend a community event where your state legislator is speaking. Introduce yourself. Tell them about your department, your community and the challenges you face on the job. When an important issue comes before them, make the call. Send the email. Show up.

Those individual actions may not seem significant on their own. But multiplied across 38,000 firefighters and the communities we serve, they become something much more powerful: a political force that elected officials cannot ignore.

Nobody can tell you how to vote. But we can tell you this: your voice matters.

Know the candidates. Know the issues. Get involved in your local union and your community. Build relationships with your elected officials. Make your voice heard — and, above all, vote.

The future of our profession is too important to leave to someone else.

It matters. Stay in the Fight.