Bill Text: AZ SB1075 | 2012 | Fiftieth Legislature 2nd Regular | Chaptered
Bill Title: State forester; wildfire resource deployment
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-03-29 - Governor Signed [SB1075 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2012-SB1075-Chaptered.html
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Senate Engrossed |
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State of Arizona Senate Fiftieth Legislature Second Regular Session 2012
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CHAPTER 135
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SENATE BILL 1075 |
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AN ACT
Amending section 37-622, Arizona Revised Statutes; 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:
37-622. 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. Annually develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the deployment of state, county, municipal, fire district, volunteer fire association and private fire service provider contract resources to wildfire suppression activities. The wildfire deployment plan shall take into account anticipated fire conditions and fire severity and may include prepositioning resources as necessary. the state forester shall consult with federal land management firefighting agencies, state and county emergency agencies, municipal fire departments, fire districts, statewide fire district and statewide fire chiefs associations, volunteer fire departments and private fire contractors in the development of a comprehensive wildfire deployment plan, the implementation of standards for training and certification for all classes of wildland fire personnel and the implementation of standards for wildland fire apparatus and equipment that is deployed under cooperative agreements with the state forester.
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 forester, 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.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR MARCH 29, 2012.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE MARCH 29, 2012.
