Since 1995, state policy relating to fire protection has been under the jurisdiction of the Washington State Patrol (WSP).  The Chief of the WSP appoints the Director of Fire Protection (Director), also known as the State Fire Marshal.  The Director has several statutory duties, which include preparing a biennial budget for fire protection services.  The Director is also required to provide instructional programs for fire service training in conjunction with schools, colleges, state agencies, and local governments.  The Fire Training Academy (Academy), also under the Director's supervision, provides basic firefighter training to all city fire departments, fire protection districts, regional fire protection service authorities, and other public fire agencies (collectively, PFAs).

Firefighter 1 is a training program that all new recruits begin with, and it includes both classroom education and practical skills.  Instead of receiving these training and testing services from the Academy, a PFA may seek reimbursement for its Firefighter 1 training expenses.  The amount of reimbursement is calculated on a per capita basis equal to the three-year statewide firefighter per capita average for the regional direct delivery of training by the Academy.  This amount is calculated by dividing the number of firefighters trained using that program by the total cost of the program.  The amount of reimbursement may not, however, be less than $3 per hour of training.  Reimbursement is capped at 200 hours.

The method for calculating reimbursement rates is removed, and reimbursement is instead provided in accordance with rules established by the Director.  The WSP, through the Director, is given the authority to adopt such rules.