,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bbij ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #aj1 #bjah,ms4 ,cantwell 7for herself and ,mr4 ,gardner7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to improve wildfire management operations and the safety of firefighters and communities with the best available technology4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,wildfire ,management ,technology ,advancement ,act of #bjah4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents of this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4,sec4 #b4 ,purpose4,sec4 #c4 ,definitions4,sec4 #d4 ,unmanned aircraft systems4,sec4 #e4 ,location systems for wildland firefighters4,sec4 #f4 ,fire risk maps4,sec4 #g4 ,real-time warnings4,sec4 #h4 ,smoke projections from active wildland fires4,sec4 #i4 ,reverse-#iaa telecommunications systems4,sec4 #aj4 ,firefighter injuries database4,sec4 #aa4 ,rapid response erosion database4,sec4 #ab4 ,research for effectiveness and standards4,sec4 #ac4 ,predicting where wildfires will start4,sec4 #ad4 ,study on aircraft operating at night4,sec4 #ae4 ,termination of authority4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to build on the successes of the ,federal ,wildland ,fire ,management ,policy and ,national ,cohesive ,fire ,strategy established pursuant to section #ejc of the ,,flame ,act of #bjji 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #agdh;b7 7as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this ,act71 as necessary to protect the safety of firefighters and communities from wildfires on public land and ,national ,forest ,system land created from the public domain1 by-- 7#a7 reducing the damages1 particularly to houses1 from wildfires2 7#b7 preparing forests and communities for wildfires2 7#c7 increasing the safety of firefighters2 and 7#d7 containing costs and increasing the accountability of decisions relating to wildland fires4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,burn severity map ,the term burn severity map means a map created by the ,secretary concerned that depicts the changes in land-cover and soil properties caused by a wildland fire4 7#b7 ,secretaries ,the term ,secretaries means-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of the ,interior2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 7#c7 ,secretary concerned ,the term ,secretary concerned means-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 with respect to activities under the ,department of the ,interior2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 with respect to activities under the ,department of ,agriculture4 7#d7 ,wildfire ,the term wildfire means any nonstructure fire1 other than a prescribed fire1 occurring in vegetation or natural fuels on-- 7,a7 public land2 or 7,b7 ,national ,forest ,system land created from the public domain4 7#e7 ,wildland-urban interface 7,a7 ,in general ,the term wildland-urban interface has the meaning given the term in section #aja of the ,healthy ,forests ,restoration ,act of #bjjc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #feaa74 7,b7 ,exclusion ,the term wildland-urban interface does not include-- 7i7 any forest reserve not created from the public domain2 or 7ii7 any national grassland or land utilization project administered under title ,,iii of the ,bankhead-,jones ,farm ,tenant ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #ajaj et seq474 #d4 ,unmanned aircraft systems 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,restricted airspace ,the term restricted airspace means an area for which the ,administrator of the ,federal ,aviation ,administration has established a temporary flight restriction for a wildland fire4 7#b7 ,unmanned aircraft2 unmanned aircraft system ,the terms unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft system have the meaning given those terms in section #cca of the ,,faa ,modernization and ,reform ,act of #bjab 7,public ,law #aab-ie2 #di ,u4,s4,c4 #djaja note74 7b7 ,official use 7#a7 ,authorization ,subject to paragraph 7#d71 ,federal and ,state wildland firefighting agencies 7including designees of the agencies7 may operate unmanned aircraft systems in managing wildland fires4 7#b7 ,development of protocols and plans ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 not later than ,march #a1 #bjai1 ,federal wildland firefighting agencies1 in coordination with ,state wildland firefighting agencies1 shall develop protocols and plans for the use of unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance1 initial and extended attack1 and incident management team use1 as appropriate1 including for the development of real-time maps of the location of wildland fires4 7#c7 ,deadline ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 not later than ,may #a1 #bjbj1 and in accordance with the protocols and plans developed under paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretaries shall begin to equip firefighting personnel with unmanned aircraft systems to develop real-time maps1 detect spot fires1 assess fire behavior1 develop tactical and strategic firefighting plans1 position fire resources1 and enhance firefighter safety4 7#d7 ,limitation on operation ,unmanned aircraft may only be operated under this section in accordance with regulations and other authorities of the ,administrator of the ,federal ,aviation ,administration4 7c7 ,unofficial use ,not later than ,may #a1 #bjah1 the ,secretaries1 in consultation with other appropriate ,federal agencies1 shall seek to reduce the number of conflicts between personal-use unmanned aircraft and wildland fire operations by-- 7#a7 enhancing public awareness of the potential for those conflicts2 7#b7 establishing a protocol to notify a user of an unmanned aircraft system operating within or adjacent to restricted airspace2 7#c7 employing a system to ground an unmanned aircraft that is operating within restricted airspace2 and 7#d7 encouraging the ,administrator of the ,federal ,aviation ,administration to enforce penalties available under section #dfcbj of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 when a user operates an unmanned aircraft system in a restricted airspace4 #e4 ,location systems for wildland firefighters 7a7 ,in general ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 not later than ,march #a1 #bjai1 the ,secretaries shall jointly develop and operate a tracking system 7referred to in this section as the system7 to remotely locate the positions of fire resources assigned to ,federal ,type #a ,wildland ,fire ,incident ,management ,teams4 7b7 ,requirements ,the system shall-- 7#a7 use technology available to the ,secretaries to remotely track the location of an active resource1 such as a ,global ,positioning ,system2 7#b7 depict the location of each fire resource on the maps developed under section #d7;b77#b72 and 7#c7 operate continuously during the period any firefighting personnel are assigned to the applicable ,federal wildland fire4 7c7 ,operation ,the ,secretary concerned shall-- 7#a7 operate the system during a wildland fire to increase-- 7,a7 the safety of employees1 officers1 and contractors2 and 7,b7 the effectiveness of the management of the wildland fire2 and 7#b7 conduct training and maintain a culture such that an employee1 officer1 or contractor shall not rely on the system for safety4 #f4 ,fire risk maps ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 the ,secretaries1 in consultation with other appropriate ,federal agencies1 may assist a ,state1 unit of local government1 or nongovernmental organization that is seeking technical or financial support to develop or refine maps1 at a scale and resolution to be useful for local governments1 that depict the relative risk of wildfires for land in the wildland-urban interface4 #g4 ,real-time warnings 7a7 ,wildland fire protocol ,the ,secretaries shall ensure that the activities conducted by the ,secretaries relating to wildland fire safely achieve reasonable objectives while minimizing firefighter exposure to the lowest level necessary to accomplish those objectives4 7b7 ,wildfire decision support system 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretaries shall establish a system to track and monitor decisions made when managing a wildfire4 7#b7 ,components of the system ,the system established under paragraph 7#a7 shall be able to alert the ,secretaries if-- 7,a7 unusual costs are incurred2 7,b7 an action is undertaken that would likely endanger the safety of a firefighter2 or 7,c7 a decision regarding the management of a wildfire deviates from-- 7i7 a protocol established by the ,secretaries1 including the requirement under subsection 7a72 or 7ii7 a spatial fire management plan or fire management plan of the ,secretary concerned4 #h4 ,smoke projections from active wildland fires 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretaries shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,interagency ,wildland ,fire ,air ,quality ,response ,program1 under which the ,secretary concerned-- 7#a7 to the maximum extent practicable1 shall assign a team of air resource advisors to a type #a incident management team managing a wildland fire2 and 7#b7 may assign a team of air resource advisors to a type #b incident management team managing a wildland fire4 7b7 ,duty ,an air resource advisor assigned under subsection 7a7 shall use a model to project-- 7#a7 how much smoke will be generated from the wildland fire2 and 7#b7 where the impacts of the smoke will occur4 7c7 ,public dissemination ,at least once each day1 the ,secretaries shall make available to the public the projections generated under subsection 7b74 #i4 ,reverse-#iaa telecommunications systems 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency 7referred to in this section as the ,administrator7 may use funds appropriated for the emergency management performance grant program under section #ffb of the ,post-,katrina ,emergency ,management ,reform ,act of #bjjf 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #gfb7 to make grants to ,states to provide funding to communities on the list of at-risk communities developed pursuant to title ,,iv of the ,department of the ,interior and ,related ,appropriations ,act1 #bjja 7,public ,law #ajf-bia2 #aad ,stat4 #ajjf7 7referred to in this section as at-risk communities7 for the cost-shared installation of a reverse-#iaa system4 7b7 ,non-,federal share ,the non-,federal share of the cost of installing a reverse-#iaa system using a grant under this section shall be #ej percent4 7c7 ,outcome-,based performance measure ,beginning in fiscal year #bjai1 as part of the budget submission of the ,president1 the ,administrator shall report the percentage of at-risk communities that possess a reverse-#iaa system4 #aj4 ,firefighter injuries database 7a7 ,in general ,section #i7;a7 of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbjh7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by inserting 1 categorized by the type of fire after such injuries and deaths2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking activities2 and inserting activities1 including-- 7,a7 all injuries sustained by a firefighter and treated by a doctor1 categorized by the type of firefighter2 7,b7 all deaths sustained while undergoing a pack test or while preparing for a work capacity2 7,c7 all injuries or deaths resulting from vehicle accidents2 and 7,d7 all injuries or deaths resulting from aircraft crashes2 2 7#c7 in paragraph 7#g71 by striking and after the semicolon at the end2 7#d7 by redesignating paragraph 7#h7 as paragraph 7#aj72 and 7#e7 by inserting after paragraph 7#g7 the following3 7#h7 the total costs incurred in the management of each wildland fire managed by a ,type #a or #b ,incident ,management ,team2 7#i7 the total number of structures lost during wildfires2 and 4 7b7 ,use of existing data gathering and analysis organizations ,section #i7;b77#c7 of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbjh7;b77#c77 is amended by inserting 1 including the ,center for ,firefighter ,injury ,research and ,safety ,trends after public and private4 7c7 ,medical privacy of firefighters ,section #i of the ,federal ,fire ,prevention and ,control ,act of #aigd 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #bbjh7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7e7 ,medical privacy of firefighters ,the collection1 storage1 and transfer of any medical data collected under this section shall be conducted in accordance with-- 7#a7 the privacy regulations promulgated under section #bfd7;c7 of the ,health ,insurance ,portability and ,accountability ,act of #aiif 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;d-#b note2 ,public ,law #ajd-aia72 and 7#b7 other applicable regulations1 including parts #afj1 #afb1 and #afd of title #de1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7as in effect on the date of enactment of this subsection74 4 #aa4 ,rapid response erosion database 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretaries1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1 shall establish and maintain a database1 to be known as the ,rapid ,response ,erosion ,database 7referred to in this section as the ,database74 7b7 ,open-,source database 7#a7 ,availability ,the ,secretaries shall make the ,database 7including the original source code7-- 7,a7 web-based2 and 7,b7 available without charge4 7#b7 ,components ,the ,database shall provide for-- 7,a7 the automatic incorporation into a burn severity map of spatial data relating to vegetation1 soils1 and elevation2 and 7,b7 the generation of a composite map that can be used by the ,secretary concerned to model the effectiveness of treatments in the burned area to prevent flooding1 erosion1 and landslides under a range of weather scenarios4 7c7 ,use ,the ,secretary concerned shall use1 to the maximum extent practicable1 the ,database in developing recommendations for emergency stabilization treatments or modifications to drainage structures to protect values-at-risk following a large wildland fire4 #ab4 ,research for effectiveness and standards 7a7 ,in general ,to assess the effectiveness of fire protection strategies1 the ,secretary of ,commerce1 acting through the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary71 shall-- 7#a7 establish a national team to collect data following wildfires in the wildland-urban interface2 and 7#b7 implement a research plan to link economic outcomes with wildfire mitigation actions by-- 7,a7 understanding the relative contribution of fuels configuration1 weather1 and terrain2 7,b7 quantifying the cost of providing the current level of fire protection2 7,c7 understanding the losses resulting from wildfires in the wildland-urban interface2 and 7,d7 using performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of current designs1 materials1 and technologies4 7b7 ,response-,time threshold ,the ,secretary shall develop optimal time-to-response standards for a firefighting agency to reach a wildfire in the wildland-urban interface4 7c7 ,coordination2 partnerships ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 coordinate with the ,secretaries2 and 7#b7 partner with administrators of firefighting agencies that protect communities from wildfires4 #ac4 ,predicting where wildfires will start 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretaries1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1 acting through the ,director of the ,jet ,propulsion ,laboratory1 and the ,secretary of ,energy1 through the capabilities and assets located at the ,national ,laboratories1 shall establish and maintain a system to predict the locations of future wildfires for fire-prone areas of the ,united ,states1 to be known as the ,fire ,danger ,assessment ,system 7referred to in this section as the ,system74 7b7 ,components ,the ,system shall use a combination of soil moisture levels1 precipitation patterns1 topography1 fuels growth and availability1 ignition risks1 and temperatures to calculate probabilities of wildfires igniting or burning in fire-prone areas of the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,use ,not later than ,may #a1 #bjai1 the ,secretaries shall use the ,system for purposes of developing any wildland fire potential forecasts4 #ad4 ,study on aircraft operating at night 7a7 ,study ,not later than ,september #cj1 #bjai1 the ,secretaries shall conduct a study to determine the feasibility of operating aircraft at night when managing wildland fires4 7b7 ,partnerships ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary may enter into a cooperative agreement with the ,center of ,excellence for ,advanced ,technology ,aerial ,firefighting4 #ae4 ,termination of authority ,the authority provided by this ,act terminates on the date that is #aj years after the date of enactment of this ,act4