This bill establishes programs and requirements related to wildfire forecasting, detection, and management, particularly with respect to communication and collaboration among officials and first responders.
For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must establish a program to improve fire forecasting and service delivery through collaboration between federal, state, and local entities. The program must seek to improve the understanding and prediction of wildfires, the assessment of fire weather, and the timeliness of related communications with state and local officials.
Under the program, NOAA may
conduct research and development activities related to fire weather and environments, contract with private entities to obtain airborne and space-based data to support fire prediction and monitoring, and conduct pilot programs to test the use of unmanned aircraft systems (i.e., drones) for fire weather observations. The bill also establishes (1) an interagency committee to coordinate the development of wildfire forecasting and the delivery of related products and services to state and local officials; (2) a national advisory committee to offer recommendations on streamlining federal forecasting information, the management and activities of the interagency committee, and other topics; and (3) a fire weather testbed to enable engagement among governments and other stakeholders.
The bill exempts emergency wildfire suppression work performed by incident meteorologists of the National Weather Service from certain premium pay limitations.
Finally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology must publish recommendations for improving coordination of communications among first responders and fire management officials.