,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #eecb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #ab1 
#bjbd,mr4 ,padilla introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry 
,a ,,bill  ,to establish a ,wildfire    
,intelligence ,center1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,wildfire           
,intelligence ,collaboration and        
,coordination ,act of #bjbd4  #b4 ,sense
 of ,congress ,it is the sense of       
,congress that-- 7#a7 wildfire          
management is a complex1                
multijurisdictional issue that requires 
an integration of efforts at all levels 
of society1 including the ,federal      
,government1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local 
governments1 and the private sector2 and
  7#b7 the report of the ,wildland ,fire
 ,mitigation and ,management ,commission
 entitled ,on ,,fire3 ,the ,report of   
the ,wildland ,fire ,mitigation and     

,management ,commission and dated       
,september #bjbc represents a consensus 
set of recommendations from #ej diverse 
experts to improve the outcomes from    
wildfire in the ,united ,states1 finding
 that-- 7,a7 climate change and rapidly 
changing ecosystems represent           
fundamental shifts in conditions that   
existing fire behavior models and       
existing fire management system are not 
designed to meet2  7,b7 research1       
applied science programs1 data          
management1 and technology procurement  
and application relating to wildfire are
 housed within a wide array of ,federal 
entities and academia1 leading to a     
limited ability to set priorities and   
general inefficiencies2  7,c7 various   
predictive services and decision-support
 functions exist to aid ,federal        
managers and decisionmakers in the      
wildland fire community that1 due to the
 different missions and jurisdictions of
 the ,federal agencies involved and the 
fact that the services reside in several

 different ,federal agencies1 would     
benefit from improved interoperability  
and more coordinated priority setting   
and purchasing power2 and  7,d7 an      
interagency joint office should be      
established-- 7i7 with membership from  
entities conducting research and        
addressing wildland fire management2    
7ii7 with dedicated and separate funding
 to fulfill the mission of comprehensive
 assessment and prediction of fire in   
the wildland and built environment      
interface through data aggregation and  
science-based decision-support services2
 and  7iii7 in close collaboration with 
the existing wildland fire management   
system in the ,united ,states4  #c4     
,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,board 
,the term ,board means the ,board for   
the ,center appointed under section     
#d7;e77#a74  7#b7 ,center ,the term     
,center means the ,wildfire             
,intelligence ,center established by    
section #d7;a74  #d4 ,wildfire          
,intelligence ,center  7a7              

,establishment ,there is established in 
the ,department of ,agriculture1 the    
,department of ,commerce1 and the       
,department of the ,interior a joint    
office1 to be known as the ,wildfire    
,intelligence ,center1 the duties of    
which are to study1 plan1 coordinate1   
and implement issues of joint concern   
among the ,department of ,agriculture1  
the ,department of ,commerce1 and the   
,department of the ,interior1           
including-- 7#a7 serving as the         
development and operational center for  
the comprehensive assessment and        
prediction of fires that occur in the   
wildland and fires that move into the   
built environment to provide decision   
support services to inform land and     
fuels management1 community outreach and
 risk reduction1 post-wildfire recovery 
and rehabilitation1 and fire management 
and response activities carried out by  
entities1 including-- 7,a7 the ,federal 
,government2  7,b7 ,state1 ,tribal1 and 
local governments2  7,c7 land managers2 

7,d7 incident management teams2  7,e7   
the ,national ,interagency ,coordination
 ,center2  7,f7 geographic coordination 
centers2  7,g7 land1 air1 and water     
managers2  7,h7 burned area             
rehabilitation teams2  7,i7 public      
health entities2 and  7,j7 other        
entities identified by the ,board2  7#b7
 facilitating collaboration and         
information sharing across ,federal and 
,state departments and agencies1 ,tribal
 entities1 academia1 and the private    
sector on matters relating to wildland  
fires2 and  7#c7 addressing any other   
issues the ,secretary of ,agriculture1  
the ,secretary of ,commerce1 and the    
,secretary of the ,interior identify as 
issues of joint interest in support of  
the ,center4  7b7 ,headquarters ,not    
later than #a year after the date of    
enactment of this ,act1 the ,board shall
 select a permanent location for a      
physical headquarters of the ,center    
within the ,united ,states4  7c7        
,functions ,the functions of the ,center

 shall include the following3 7#a7      
,providing real-time1 science-based1 and
 data-rich scientific and technical     
analytical services1 decision support1  
and predictive services across all      
phases of fire to inform pre-fire land  
and fuels management1 pre-fire community
 and built environment risk reduction1  
active fire management and emergency    
response1 and post-fire recovery in the 
built and natural environment4  7#b7    
,assessing and monitoring wildland fires
 and wildland fire conditions across all
 phases of fire1 including ignition1    
behavior1 and spread1 climate1 weather1 
drought1 soil moisture1 fuel conditions1
 smoke1 aerosols1 fire severity1 debris 
flows1 and erosion4  7#c7 ,comprehensive
 modeling of wildland fire behavior and 
risks1 including ignitions1 wildland    
fire intensity and spread1              
structure-to-structure ignition1        
community and structure vulnerability1  
air quality1 and dependence on burn     
history1 vegetation conditions1 climate1

 and weather4  7#d7 ,providing and      
combining existing data1 mapping1       
technological1 and consultation services
 to support pre-1 active1 and post-fire 
activities1 including-- 7,a7 creating   
and maintaining a real-time nationwide  
wildland fire risk catalog by leveraging
 existing risk mapping at land          
management agencies2  7,b7 assisting    
with the creation of evacuation plans   
for at-risk communities2  7,c7 assisting
 with the creation of public safety     
power shutoff plans2  7,d7 assisting    
with the creation of wildland fire      
response strategies1 plans1 and         
treatment and mitigation measures2  7,e7
 providing gridded and point data       
forecast and assessment products in     
support of operational and planning     
activities2 and  7,f7 providing a       
testbed framework for testing and       
evaluation of new tools and products    
intended for decision support4  7#e7    
,consolidating air quality monitoring   
and forecasting data to support health  

risk information to help inform risks to
 public health and protect the public   
from smoke impacts associated with      
wildland fires1 including providing     
planning guidance for safe and effective
 beneficial fire opportunities to       
prevent the risk of wildland fires4     
7#f7 ,providing accessible tools and    
products that support emergency and land
 management decisions relating to       
wildland fire prevention1 preparedness1 
and response1 including risk assessment 
and contingency planning1 which shall   
include the development of a data       
interface to assist and inform1 in      
real-time1 firefighters1 first          
responders1 and approved contractors in 
responding to wildland fires1 including 
the use of any observations by the      
civil1 military1 and intelligence       
communities of the ,federal ,government 
and commercial ,earth observations4     
7#g7 ,establishing an interoperable     
information technology infrastructure   
accessible by ,federal agencies1 ,state 

government offices1 units of local      
government1 and ,tribal governments4    
7#h7 ,to the extent feasible1           
establishing data interoperability      
through-- 7,a7 the development of common
 data standards2  7,b7 the provision of 
comprehensive searchable data           
inventories2  7,c7 working with ,tribal 
governments in nation-to-nation         
partnership2  7,d7 the integration and  
sharing of information and resources of 
the ,federal ,government and ,state and 
local governments to support the        
essential functions of the ,center2     
7,e7 the development of data standards  
to protect confidential information that
 may be essential to the core functions 
of the ,center2  7,f7 regular updates   
and maintenance of research and         
technology essential to achieving the   
core functions of the ,center2 and  7,g7
 the development and maintenance of a   
big-data architecture to compile1       
maintain1 standardize1 and evaluate data
 associated with the core functions of  

the ,center4  7#i7 ,in coordination with
 relevant ,federal agencies and         
coordinating bodies as determined by the
 ,board1 and in consultation with ,state
 government offices1 units of local     
government1 territories of the ,united  
,states1 and federally recognized       
,indian ,tribes1 developing and         
disseminating tools to support wildland 
fire planning1 risk reduction and       
response guidance1 guidelines1 maps1 and
 training materials to help inform      
,state1 territorial1 local1 and ,tribal 
governments and decisionmakers with     
respect to-- 7,a7 the use and           
implementations of wildland fire risk   
assessments2  7,b7 the applied use of   
the database and information developed  
under paragraphs 7#g7 and 7#h72  7,c7   
reducing losses from wildland fires2    
7,d7 increasing benefits from wildland  
fires2  7,e7 resources available for    
communities and responders working to   
improve wildland fire preparedness2 and 
7,f7 enhancing communication management 

in emergency wildfire situations1 land  
and resource management1 and scientific 
studies4  7#aj7 ,working with ,federal1 
,state1 and ,tribal agencies to develop 
and improve ,national ,wildland         
,coordinating ,group wildland fire      
preparedness curricula and training     
modules for-- 7,a7 ,state1 territorial1 
local1 and ,tribal officials2 and  7,b7 
,federal1 ,state1 territorial1 local1   
and ,tribal emergency managers and      
responders4  7d7 ,administration  7#a7  
,in general ,the ,secretary of          
,agriculture1 the ,secretary of         
,commerce1 and the ,secretary of the    
,interior shall cooperatively administer
 the ,center4  7#b7 ,transfer of funds  
7,a7 ,in general ,subject to            
subparagraph 7,b71 the ,secretary of    
,agriculture1 the ,secretary of         
,commerce1 and the ,secretary of the    
,interior may transfer funds between the
 ,forest ,service1 ,national ,oceanic   
and ,atmospheric ,administration1 and   
the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey 

from funds provided to establish the    
,center and to carry out the duties of  
the ,center4  7,b7 ,notice required ,not
 less than #ae days prior to            
transferring funds under subparagraph   
7,a71 the ,secretary of ,agriculture1   
the ,secretary of ,commerce1 or the     
,secretary of the ,interior1 as         
applicable1 shall notify the ,committee 
on ,appropriations of the ,senate and   
the ,committee on ,appropriations of the
 ,house of ,representatives of the      
proposed transfer4  7e7 ,board  7#a7    
,number and appointment ,the ,center    
shall be governed by a ,board1 composed 
of #ad members1 as follows3 7,a7 #a     
member who is a career employee of the  
,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric     
,administration1 to be appointed by the 
,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic
 and ,atmospheric ,administration4  7,b7
 #a member who is a career employee of  
the ,united ,states ,fire               
,administration1 to be appointed by the 
,administrator of the ,united ,states   

,fire ,administration4  7,c7 #a member  
who is a career employee of the ,federal
 ,emergency ,management ,agency1 to be  
appointed by the ,administrator of the  
,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency4
  7,d7 #a member who is a career        
employee of the ,national ,weather      
,service1 to be appointed by the        
,director of the ,national ,weather     
,service4  7,e7 #a member who is a      
career employee in fire and aviation    
management of the ,forest ,service1 to  
be appointed by the ,chief of the       
,forest ,service4  7,f7 #a member who is
 a career employee of the ,department of
 the ,interior1 to be appointed by the  
,secretary of the ,interior4  7,g7 #a   
member who is a career employee of the  
,bureau of ,land ,management1 to be     
appointed by the ,director of the       
,bureau of ,land ,management4  7,h7 #a  
member who is a career employee of the  
,bureau of ,indian ,affairs1 to be      
appointed by the ,director of the       
,bureau of ,indian ,affairs4  7,i7 #a   

member who is a career employee of the  
,national ,park ,service1 to be         
appointed by the ,director of the       
,national ,park ,service4  7,j7 #a      
member who is a career employee of the  
,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife     
,service1 to be appointed by the        
,director of the ,united ,states ,fish  
and ,wildlife ,service4  7,k7 #a member 
who is a career employee of the ,united 
,states ,geological ,survey1 to be      
appointed by the ,director of the       
,united ,states ,geological ,survey4    
7,l7 #a member who is a career employee 
of the ,department of ,agriculture1 to  
be appointed by the ,secretary of       
,agriculture4  7,m7 #a member who is a  
career employee of the ,department of   
,defense1 to be appointed by the        
,secretary of ,defense4  7,n7 #a member 
who is a career employee of the research
 and development areas of the ,forest   
,service1 to be appointed by the ,chief 
of the ,forest ,service4  7#b7 ,terms ,a
 member of the ,board-- 7,a7 shall be   

appointed for a term of #c years2 and   
7,b7 may be reappointed for not more    
than #c additional terms4  7#c7         
,chairperson2 vice chairperson ,the     
,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson of  
the ,board shall-- 7,a7 be selected by  
the members of the ,board1 on a rotating
 basis1 from among the members appointed
 under subparagraphs 7,a71 7,k71 and    
7,n7 of paragraph 7#a72 and  7,b7 serve 
for a term of #a year4  7#d7 ,majority  
vote ,voting consensus by the ,board    
shall be not less than #b_/c majority   
vote4  7#e7 ,nonvoting status ,at the   
discretion of the ,board1 the ,board may
 include nonvoting observers to the     
,board4  7f7 ,executive ,director  7#a7 
,in general ,the ,center shall have an  
,executive ,director1 who shall be      
appointed by1 and serve at the direction
 of1 the ,board4  7#b7 ,private sector  
drought monitoring ,the ,executive      
,director of the ,center shall engage   
with entities in the private sector to  
improve drought monitoring1 forecasting1

 communication1 and response that may be
 essential to the core functions of the 
,center if the ,executive ,director of  
the ,center determines that the         
engagement is appropriate1 beneficial1  
and cost effective4  7#c7 ,contracting  
authority  7,a7 ,in general ,the        
,executive ,director of the ,center may 
enter into and perform contracts1       
leases1 cooperative agreements1 or other
 similar transactions that the          
,executive ,director of the ,center     
determines to be appropriate to carry   
out the functions of the ,center4  7,b7 
,report ,not later than #a year after   
the date of enactment of this ,act1 the 
,board and the ,executive ,director of  
the ,center shall submit to the         
appropriate committees of ,congress a   
report that provides-- 7i7 an assessment
 of existing contracting authorities of 
the ,executive ,director of the ,center2
 and  7ii7 recommendations on whether   
new contracting authorities or          
modifications of existing contracting   

authorities are needed4  7g7 ,direct    
hire authority ,the ,chairperson of the 
,board and the ,executive ,director of  
the ,center may hire qualified          
candidates to any positions determined  
to be necessary to carry out the duties 
of the ,center1 as directed by a        
consensus vote of the ,board in         
accordance with subsection 7e77#d74  7h7
 ,interagency financing ,notwithstanding
 section #gjh of the ,financial         
,services and ,general ,government      
,appropriations ,act1 #bjbc 7,public    
,law #aag-cbh2 #acf ,stat4 #dgjf7 or any
 other similar provision of law1        
interagency financing may be used to    
fund the ,center4  7i7 ,coordination    
with other agencies and entities ,the   
,board shall coordinate with agencies   
represented on the ,board and other     
relevant entities to achieve the core   
functions of the ,center1 including     
with-- 7#a7 the ,national ,wildfire     
,coordinating ,group2  7#b7 ,state and  
,tribal governments2  7#c7 any other    

agency-- 7,a7 that is responsible for   
the management of ,federal or ,state    
land2 or  7,b7 that has data1 science1  
and technology expertise relevant to the
 ,center2 and  7#d7 any other relevant  
,federal1 ,state1 ,tribal1 or           
nongovernmental entity that is          
representative of an element of the     
wildland fire community4