House Bill 1498 would authorize the Department of Natural Resources to use wildfire suppression funding to assist local and tribal fire departments with aerial fire response capabilities during the initial attack phase of fighting a wildland fire.
March 11, 2023
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Fire fighting support bill passes WA House
Local fire chief says legislation will be a big asset if enacted
OLYMPIA – Legislation to fund aerial fire suppression assistance for small and rural fire departments passed the state House Wednesday. “Listening to some of the people here at my district, they have always been afraid to order aircraft because of that dollar amount,” said Grant County Fire District 7 Chief Chris Baker. “So, we’ve had some fires that could have definitely used it that were very large. I think it’s about time and as long as we have training in place to ensure that everyone is responsible with that resource, it’s going to be really important – a great asset for us.”