AN ACT Relating to forest fire suppression; creating a new section; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

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

(2) The analysis required in this section must consider all aspects of fire suppression and response, including:

(a) Dispatch protocols and dispatcher knowledge of local resources;

(b) Protocols for when to elevate a fire to a higher level incident management team;

(c) Initial attacks to keep fires small;

(d) Utilization of local fire response resources;

(e) Maximizing the effectiveness of using smokejumpers as an initial attack;

(f) Minimization of indecision in producing orders;

(g) Policies for entering or crossing over public lands;

(h) Consistency of incident command between shifts and personnel changes;

(i) Openness of communication channels;

(j) The preincident development of local emergency response plans;

(k) Response training and drills;

(l) Prepositioning resources in fire-prone communities;

(m) Interagency agreements with partner agencies;

(n) Protecting local suppression resources from being dispatched to other jurisdictions; and

(o) Managing firefighter fatigue without jeopardizing response.

(3) The department of natural resources must, as part of the analysis required under this section, identify a set of deliverables and a plan for achieving the deliverables.

(4)(a) An initial analysis must be reported to the legislature, consistent with RCW 43.01.036, by June 1, 2015. A final analysis must be completed and reported by December 31, 2015.

(b) A follow-up to the analysis must be reported to the legislature, consistent with RCW 43.01.036, by December 31, 2016, that outlines the success of the department of natural resources in achieving the deliverables included in the final report.

(5) This section expires July 1, 2017. 

--- END ---