BILL REQ. #:  S-4634.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/06/04.   

     AN ACT Relating to fire suppression capability in the wildland and urban interface areas; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The state fire protection policy board, through the director of fire protection within the state patrol, shall conduct an assessment of fire suppression capability in the interface areas between wildlands and urban areas throughout the state. The state fire protection policy board should concentrate upon the geographic areas in which wildland fuels and development meet or are intermixed. The state fire protection policy board should generally exclude from the assessment those areas within the fire suppression jurisdiction of the department of natural resources for forest lands under chapter 76.04 RCW and urban areas protected by city fire departments or fire protection districts in which wildland fuels are a minimal source of fire hazard.
     (2) The state fire protection policy board shall encourage the participation of fire suppression jurisdictions, fire fighters, the insurance industry, the building industry, the department of natural resources, the emergency management division of the military department, and local governments in conducting the assessment. The state fire protection policy board shall invite the associations of fire chiefs and fire commissioners to participate fully in the assessment and to facilitate involvement of and communication with fire protection districts and fire departments throughout the state that provide coverage in wildland and urban interface areas. The fire protection bureau of the state patrol shall provide staff assistance to the state fire protection policy board in conducting the assessment.
     (3) The assessment should include the following:
     (a) An inventory of the interface areas within the state, including a general description of the total area, and the characteristics of wildland fuels and development patterns within this area;
     (b) A general description of current and projected coverage by fire protection jurisdictions in these areas, and current and project capacity of such jurisdictions considering factors such as personnel, training, equipment, and budgetary resources;
     (c) A review of existing agreements among fire jurisdictions for mutual assistance and fire response within interface areas, and response times and callout procedures both at a mutual-aid level and for a state declared mobilization;
     (d) An assessment of water sources and infrastructure for fire flow delivery in interface areas, including availability of piped water at fire flow pressure, fire hydrants, standpipes in water bodies or water storage facilities, and other infrastructure;
     (e) An assessment of land use, building and fire codes within such areas, defensible space requirements, egress and ingress routes from the interface areas, and the effects upon wildland fire hazard and potential damages;
     (f) Recommendations for a system of classifying interface areas that recognize differences across the state in fire hazard, fire risk, and structural and wildland fuel characteristics; and
     (g) Recommendations to strengthen fire prevention and suppression in interface areas, including provision of suppression infrastructure, improvements in fire jurisdiction training, equipment, and funding, and improved coordination among fire jurisdictions to achieve prompt and effective response to fires in interface areas.
     (4) The state fire protection policy board shall provide the report to the appropriate committees of the senate and house of representatives no later than December 1, 2004.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.