H-2136.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1483
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State of Washington 54th Legislature 1995 Regular Session
By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Pennington, Elliot, Stevens, Huff, Mielke, Johnson, L. Thomas, McMahan and Sheahan)
Read first time 02/27/95.
AN ACT Relating to the prevention and suppression of forest wild fires; amending RCW 76.04.165; 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:
(1) The legislature hereby finds and declares that forest wild fires are a threat to public health and safety and can cause catastrophic damage to public and private resources, including clean air, clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, timber resources, forest soils, scenic beauty, recreational opportunities, structures, and other improvements; and that it is in the public interest to protect forests and forest resources by preventing and suppressing forest wild fires.
(2) The legislature hereby finds and declares that it is in the public interest to establish and maintain a complete, cooperative, and coordinated forest fire protection and suppression program for the state; that, second only to saving lives, the primary mission of the department is protecting forest resources and suppressing forest wild fires; that a primary mission of rural fire districts and municipal fire departments is protecting improved property and suppressing structural fires; and that the most effective way to protect structures is for the department to focus its efforts and resources on aggressively suppressing forest wild fires.
(3) The legislature also acknowledges the natural role of fire in forest ecosystems, and finds and declares it in the public interest to use fire under controlled conditions to prevent wild fires by maintaining healthy forests and eliminating sources of fuel.
Sec. 2. RCW 76.04.165 and 1988 c 273 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The legislature
finds and declares that forest lands within the state are increasingly being
used for residential purposes; that the risk to life and property is increasing
from forest fires which may destroy developed property; ((that the
department's primary mission is to protect forest land and suppress forest
fires; that a primary mission of the rural fire districts and municipal fire
departments is to protect improved property and suppress structural fires;))
that, based on the primary missions for the respective fire control agencies
established in this chapter, adjustment of the geographic areas of
responsibility ((for the respective fire control agencies)) has not kept
pace with the increasing use of forest lands for residential purposes; and that
the department should work with the state's other fire control agencies to
define geographic areas of responsibility that are more consistent with their
respective primary missions.
(2) To accomplish the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, the department shall establish a procedure to clarify its geographic areas of responsibility. The areas of department protection shall be called forest protection zones. The forest protection zones shall include all forest land which the department is obligated to protect but shall not include forest land within rural fire districts or municipal fire districts which affected local fire control agencies agree, by mutual consent with the department, is not appropriate for department protection. Forest land not included within a forest protection zone established by mutual agreement of the department and a rural fire district or a municipal fire district shall not be assessed under RCW 76.04.610 or 76.04.630.
(3) After the department and any affected local fire protection agencies have agreed on the boundary of a forest protection zone, the department shall establish the boundary by rule under chapter 34.05 RCW.
(4) Except by agreement of the affected parties, the establishment of forest protection zones shall not alter any mutual aid agreement.
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