SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5176

As Passed Senate, February 21, 2003

Title: An act relating to providing wildland fire fighting training.

Brief Description: Providing wildland fire fighting training.

Sponsors: Senators Roach and Doumit.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 1/28/03 [DP].

Passed Senate: 2/21/03, 46-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Roach, Chair; Stevens, Vice Chair; Horn, Kastama, McCaslin and Reardon.

Staff: Mac Nicholson (786-7445)

Background: The State Fire Protection Policy Board consists of eight members, appointed by the Governor, charged with establishing a comprehensive state policy regarding fire protection services. As one aspect of that policy, the board is required to develop and adopt a plan with the goal of providing training to all fire fighters in the state. The plan is to include a reimbursement for fire protection districts and city fire departments of not less than $2 for every hour of fire fighter training. Reimbursement is limited to 150 hours of training for each fire fighter trained. Reimbursement is paid from the fire service training account, which consists of fees received by the State Patrol for training; grants and bequests accepted by the State Patrol; and 20 percent of all moneys received by the state on fire insurance premiums.

Summary of Bill: The State Fire Protection Policy Board must include wildland fire fighting training as part of the board's plan to provide training to all fire fighters in the state. The reimbursement element of the training plan is increased to $3 per hour of training, and the limit on reimbursement is increased to 200 hours per fire fighter trained.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: There are wildland fires every year in the state and providing wildland fire training to firefighters will aid in the control and suppression of such fires. There is a surplus in the fire service training account, so the additional training and higher reimbursement rates will not require additional sources of funding.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: PRO: Ryan Spiller, WA Fire Commissioners Assoc.; Mark Kahley, DNR (concerns).

House Amendment(s): Wildland fire training reimbursement will be provided to fire protection districts and city fire departments that do not have an interior attack policy and to districts and departments that have and are fulfilling their interior attack policy.