California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a round of bills Friday aimed at preventing, recovering from and staying safe during wildfires, which have ravaged the state in recent years and become a year-round problem as weather patterns grow more unpredictable.

The more than two dozen bills Brown signed are broadly aimed at assigning responsibility, taking a more preventative approach to wildfire safety and protecting Californians better.

The mass signing comes just days after the largest fire in state history was finally declared contained months after it erupted.

The crux of one of the most talked-about bills, SB 901, attempts to address what a utility companys financial liability is when its electrical equipment causes wildfires. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D), whose district was ravaged by the North Bay wildfires last fall, the legislation is aimed at preventing utility companies, such as Northern Californias Pacific Gas & Electric, from going bankrupt while it pays off lawsuits filed by customers over those fires.

With the bill, PG&E will be able to use a state-authorized bond to pay off the 200-plus lawsuits its facing in connection with last years fires, so long as the company acted reasonably in maintaining its equipment before the fires.