Title: An act relating to the creation of a statewide first responder building mapping information system.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senators Brandland, Kline, Roach, Kastama, Rasmussen, Johnson, Esser, McCaslin, Schmidt and Winsley).

Brief Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill

(As Amended by House Committee)

• Creating a building mapping information system.

Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Haigh, Chair; Miloscia, Vice Chair; Armstrong, Ranking Minority Member; Shabro, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Hunt, McDermott, Nixon, Tom and Wallace.

Building mapping provides electronic pre-incident plans of a building. Each map is a blue print describing each room located in a building, along with the dimensions. Building map information can include:

• other important information to emergency personnel responding to the disaster or emergency.

The maps are designed to give the emergency responder as much information about the physical structure of the building as possible, without actually being inside the building. Mapping information is located in a centralized database that can be made available to emergency responders equipped with portable computers.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) will create and operate a statewide first responder building mapping information system (mapping system). All state and local government owned buildings will be mapped by the WASPC or another source, contingent on available funding. The owners of non-government owned buildings may voluntarily forward mapping and emergency data to the WASPC. Building mapping information will be made available to all state, local, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies, along with the Military Department and fire departments. The WASPC will develop mapping software standards that must be met in order to participate in the mapping system.

The WASPC, the Washington State Emergency Management Office, the Washington Association of County Officials, the Washington Association of Cities, the Information Services Board, the Washington State Fire Chiefs' Association, and the Washington State Patrol must convene a committee to establish statewide first responder building mapping software. The committee must develop the type of information to be included in the mapping system, and set standards that must be utilized by all entities participating. The committee must determine the order in which buildings are mapped and develop guidelines on how the information will be transmitted to the first responders. The committee will recommend training guidelines to the Criminal Justice Training Commission and the Office of the State Fire Marshall within the Washington State Patrol.

No state agency or local government is required to map a building unless the entire cost of mapping is provided by the WASPC or from other sources. The WASPC will pursue federal funds and develop grants to create the mapping system.

Units of local government and their employees are immune from civil liability for damages arising out of the creation or use of building mapping information, unless they act with gross negligence or in bad faith. Tactical and intelligence information provided to the WASPC is exempt from public disclosure.

Clarifies that the building mapping system is for a limited and specific purpose and does not preclude other local building mapping efforts. Public disclosure is allowed, except for specific intelligence and investigation records.

Effective Date of Amended Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: A statewide building mapping system allows law enforcement agencies to move into the future of emergency response tactics. Many counties are currently mapping public buildings, a statewide mapping system would allow local mapping information to be stored in a central location.

Testified: (In support) Senator Brandland, prime sponsor; and Tim Schellberg, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.