S-3929               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6397

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senators Barr and Rasmussen

Read first time 1/20/88 and referred to Committee on Environment & Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to forest fires; and adding a new section to chapter 76.04 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 76.04 RCW to read as follows:

          Upon arriving at the scene of a forest fire, the first priority of the employees or agents of the department shall be to attempt to extinguish the fire, and attempts to conduct a survey of contiguous property to ascertain the necessity to remove individuals or property from the area of the fire shall be secondary to that responsibility.  This section shall not be construed as preventing assistance to individuals in immediate danger from the fire.