BILL REQ. #:  S-0683.2 

Read first time 01/17/2003.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to providing wildland fire fighting training; and reenacting and amending RCW 43.43.934.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 43.43.934 and 1999 c 117 s 1 and 1999 c 24 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     Except for matters relating to the statutory duties of the chief of the Washington state patrol that are to be carried out through the director of fire protection, the board shall have the responsibility of developing a comprehensive state policy regarding fire protection services. In carrying out its duties, the board shall:
     (1)(a) Adopt a state fire training and education master plan that allows to the maximum feasible extent for negotiated agreements: (i) With the state board for community and technical colleges to provide academic, vocational, and field training programs for the fire service and (ii) with the higher education coordinating board and the state colleges and universities to provide instructional programs requiring advanced training, especially in command and management skills;
     (b) Adopt minimum standards for each level of responsibility among personnel with fire suppression, prevention, inspection, and investigation responsibilities that assure continuing assessment of skills and are flexible enough to meet emerging technologies. With particular respect to training for fire investigations, the master plan shall encourage cross training in appropriate law enforcement skills. To meet special local needs, fire agencies may adopt more stringent requirements than those adopted by the state;
     (c) Cooperate with the common schools, technical and community colleges, institutions of higher education, and any department or division of the state, or of any county or municipal corporation in establishing and maintaining instruction in fire service training and education in accordance with any act of congress and legislation enacted by the legislature in pursuance thereof and in establishing, building, and operating training and education facilities.
     Industrial fire departments and private fire investigators may participate in training and education programs under this chapter for a reasonable fee established by rule;
     (d) Develop and adopt a master plan for constructing, equipping, maintaining, and operating necessary fire service training and education facilities subject to the provisions of chapter 43.19 RCW;
     (e) Develop and adopt a master plan for the purchase, lease, or other acquisition of real estate necessary for fire service training and education facilities in a manner provided by law; and
     (f) Develop and adopt a plan with a goal of providing ((training at the level of)) fire fighter one and wildland training, as defined by the board, to all fire fighters in the state. The plan will include a reimbursement for fire protection districts and city fire departments of not less than ((two)) three dollars for every hour of fire fighter one or wildland training. The Washington state patrol shall not provide reimbursement for more than ((one)) two hundred ((fifty)) hours of fire fighter one or wildland training for each fire fighter trained.
     (2) In addition to its responsibilities for fire service training, the board shall:
     (a) Adopt a state fire protection master plan;
     (b) Monitor fire protection in the state and develop objectives and priorities to improve fire protection for the state's citizens including: (i) The comprehensiveness of state and local inspections required by law for fire and life safety; (ii) the level of skills and training of inspectors, as well as needs for additional training; and (iii) the efforts of local, regional, and state inspection agencies to improve coordination and reduce duplication among inspection efforts;
     (c) Establish and promote state arson control programs and ensure development of local arson control programs;
     (d) Provide representation for local fire protection services to the governor in state-level fire protection planning matters such as, but not limited to, hazardous materials control;
     (e) Recommend to the adjutant general rules on minimum information requirements of automatic location identification for the purposes of enhanced 911 emergency service;
     (f) Seek and solicit grants, gifts, bequests, devises, and matching funds for use in furthering the objectives and duties of the board, and establish procedures for administering them;
     (g) Promote mutual aid and disaster planning for fire services in this state;
     (h) Assure the dissemination of information concerning the amount of fire damage including that damage caused by arson, and its causes and prevention; and
     (i) Implement any legislation enacted by the legislature to meet the requirements of any acts of congress that apply to this section.
     (3) In carrying out its statutory duties, the board shall give particular consideration to the appropriate roles to be played by the state and by local jurisdictions with fire protection responsibilities. Any determinations on the division of responsibility shall be made in consultation with local fire officials and their representatives.
     To the extent possible, the board shall encourage development of regional units along compatible geographic, population, economic, and fire risk dimensions. Such regional units may serve to: (a) Reinforce coordination among state and local activities in fire service training, reporting, inspections, and investigations; (b) identify areas of special need, particularly in smaller jurisdictions with inadequate resources; (c) assist the state in its oversight responsibilities; (d) identify funding needs and options at both the state and local levels; and (e) provide models for building local capacity in fire protection programs.