AN ACT

Amending section 37-622, Arizona Revised Statutes; amending title 37, chapter 2.1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 37-625; relating to wildfire deployment and suppression.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 37-622, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE37-622.  Duties of state forester; acceptance of federal law

A.  The state forester is designated as the agent of the state of Arizona and shall administer the provisions of this chapter.  In addition, the state forester shall:

1.  Perform all management and administrative functions assigned or delegated to this state by the United States relating to forestry and financial assistance and grants relating to forestry.

2.  Identify sources of information relating to forest management, including wildfire suppression and recovery and administrative and judicial appeals and litigation with respect to timber sales and forest thinning projects in this state, and develop procedures for compiling and transferring that information to the state forester.

3.  Take necessary action to maximize state fire assistance grants, including establishing timelines for using grant monies and reallocating lapsed grant monies to other projects.

4.  Conduct education and outreach in forest communities explaining the wildfire threat to private property caused by lack of timber harvesting and thinning.

5.  Monitor forestry projects and wildfire activities.

6.  Intervene on behalf of this state and its citizens in administrative and judicial appeals and litigation that challenge governmental efforts supported by the state forester if the state forester determines that intervention is in the best interests of this state.

7.  Not later than February 15 of each year, develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the deployment of municipal and fire district resources to wildfire suppression activities, prescribed fire and associated forestry project work.  The wildfire deployment plan shall take into account anticipated fire conditions and fire severity and may include prepositioning municipal and fire district resources as necessary.

8.  Provide necessary oversight to ensure standardized training and certification for all classifications of wildfire firefighters to be deployed, through cooperator agreement with the state land department, to any federal or state wildfire incident.

B.  During the first regular session of each legislature, the state forester shall present information to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over forestry issues.  The state forester shall collaborate with, and invite the participation of, relevant state, federal and local governmental officers and agencies.  A written report is not required, but the presentation shall include information concerning:

1.  Forestry management, including the current conditions of the forests in this state on federal, state and private property as affected by federal, state and local public policies, climatic conditions, wildfire hazards, pest infestations, overgrowth and overgrowth control policies and methods and the effects of current federal policy on forest management and impacts on forest land management.

2.  The wildland‑urban interface, including the effects of county and municipal zoning policies and wildfire hazards on public and private property.

3.  Wildfire emergency management issues, including:

(a)  Intergovernmental and interagency primacy, cooperation, coordination, roles and training of federal, state and local forestry, firefighting and law enforcement agencies.

(b)  Channels and methods of communicating emergency information to the public.

(c)  The roles of governmental and nongovernmental disaster relief agencies and organizations.

(d)  The level of federal, state and local emergency funding.

C.  The state forester may:

1.  Furnish technical advice to the people of the state on forestry matters.

2.  Do all other acts necessary to take advantage of and carry out the provisions of the act of Congress described in subsection D.

D.  This state accepts the provisions of the cooperative forestry assistance act of 1978 (P.L. 95‑313; 92 Stat. 365; 16 United States Code chapter 41) providing for federal forestry assistance programs to states. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Title 37, chapter 2.1, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 37-625, to read:

START_STATUTE37-625.  Wildfire deployment commission

A.  The wildfire deployment commission is established consisting of:

1.  The state forester who serves as chairperson of the commission.

2.  The following members who are appointed by the governor pursuant to section 38‑211:

(a)  Four members who are fire chiefs of municipal fire departments or fire districts whose jurisdictional boundary is adjacent to a national forest or other federally managed lands and who have a demonstrated expertise in wildfire suppression.

(b)  One member who is a fire chief of a municipal fire department or fire district with a population of one hundred thousand or more persons and who has a demonstrated expertise in wildfire suppression.

(c)  One member who is a fire chief of a private fire services provider whose organization is a contractor to the state land department for wildfire suppression services and who has a demonstrated expertise in wildfire suppression.

(d)  One member who is a fire chief of a municipal fire department or fire district in a county with a population of less than three hundred thousand persons and who has a demonstrated expertise in wildfire suppression.

(e)  One member who is a fire chief of a municipal fire department or fire district designated as the state fire resource coordinator pursuant to a mutual aid compact and fire service mutual aid plan authorized by executive order.

B.  In making appointments pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 2 of this section, the governor may accept nominations from a statewide fire chiefs association and a statewide fire district association.

C.  Members of the commission serve three-year terms of office unless dismissed by the governor for cause or the member no longer meets the qualification for appointment.  The commission shall annually select a vice‑chairperson from among the members.  The commission must meet at least three times each fiscal year on the call of the chairperson or vice‑chairperson or on the request of at least five members.  Members of the commission are not entitled to compensation but are entitled to reimbursement of expenses as provided by law.

D.  The commission shall assist the state forester in:

1.  Developing comprehensive wildfire deployment plans and procedures governing the deployment of state land cooperator wildfire suppression resources pursuant to section 37-622, subsection A, paragraph 7.

2.  Developing and implementing standards for training and certification of all classifications of wildfire firefighters.

3.  Developing and implementing standards for fire apparatus and equipment to be deployed, through cooperator agreement with the state land department, to any federal or state wildfire incident. END_STATUTE