Background:

The Chief of the Washington State Patrol (WSP) has the authority to declare a fire mobilization. The State Fire Marshal in the WSP serves as the state fire resources coordinator when a Washington fire services mobilization plan is mobilized.

State fire mobilization plans are generally needed:

because of the possibility of the occurrence of disastrous fires or other disasters of unprecedented size and destructiveness;

to insure that the state is adequately prepared to respond to such a fire or disaster;
to provide for redistribution of personnel, equipment, and other logistical resources from around the state when a wild land fire or other emergency exceeds the firefighting capacity of local jurisdictions;
to establish a mechanism and a procedure to provide for reimbursement to state agencies and local agencies that respond to help others in time of need or to a host fire district that experiences expenses beyond their allocated available resources in that district; and
to protect the public peace, health, safety, lives, and property of the people of Washington.

A fire mobilization is generally limited to fire incidents. Under the WSP statute, by definition when a "mobilization" is declared it means that firefighting resources beyond those available through existing agreements will be requested and, when available, sent in response to an emergency or disaster situation that has exceeded the capabilities of available local resources. During a large scale emergency, mobilization includes the redistribution of regional or statewide firefighting resources to either direct emergency incident assignments or to an assignment in communities where firefighting resources are needed.

Under RCW 43.43.964, the WSP in consultation with the Office of Financial Management and the Washington Military Department is responsible for developing procedures to facilitate reimbursement to state agencies and local jurisdictions from appropriate federal and state funds when state agencies and jurisdictions are mobilized by the WSP Chief under the Washington Fire Services Mobilization plan.

When a mobilization is declared by the Chief of the WSP, firefighting resources become mobilized beyond those currently available (under RCW 43.43.960(5)) and reimbursement may only be provide to state agencies and local jurisdictions that incur expenses when mobilized for firefighting purposes under the Washington Fire Services Mobilization plan (under RCW 43.43.961(3)). Generally, when local jurisdictions send and receive aid through mutual aid agreements the payments and reimbursements are made at the local level. State and local agencies that participate in a fire service mobilization generally receive reimbursement through the state's Disaster Response Account (Account).

Disaster Response Account. The state's Account is a dedicated Account in the state treasury. Money may be placed in the Account from legislative appropriations and transfers, federal appropriations, and other lawful sources. Expenditures from the Account is used to support state agency and local government disaster response and recovery efforts. There have been 156 mobilization events since the inception of the Washington Fire Services Mobilization plan back in 1994: 154 of the events were fire-related and two of the events were non-fire events (the 1999 World Trade Organization riots and the 2008 Rosalia Motorcycle Rally).

Summary of Bill:

The definition for "mobilization" is expanded to include mobilizing for fire as well as certain non-fire incidents. Mobilization means all "risk resources" regularly provided by fire departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection authorities beyond those available through existing agreements will be requested and, when available, sent in response to an emergency or disaster situation that has exceeded the capabilities of available local resources. During a large scale emergency, mobilization includes the redistribution of regional or statewide firefighting resources to either direct emergency incident assignments or to assignment in communities where firefighting resources are needed.

"All risk resources" means those resources regularly provided by fire departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection authorities required to respond incidents, including but not limited to: wild land fires; earthquakes; floods; contagious diseases; and technical rescues that have aspects of saving life or property and employ the use of tools and skills that exceed those normally reserved for firefighting and medical emergency. These disciplines include rope rescue, swiftwater rescue, confined space rescue, ski rescue, cave rescue, trench or excavation rescue, and building collapse rescue.

The legislative intent for state fire service mobilization is expanded. It declares that it is necessary to provide the policy and organization structure for large scale mobilization of all risk resources in the state and nothing can be construed or interpreted to limit the eligibility of any non-host fire protection authority for reimbursement of expenses incurred in providing all risk resources for mobilization provided that the mobilization meets the requirements identified in the Washington Fire Service Mobilization plan.