House Bill 1271, Early Deployment of State Fire Service Resources (Washington, 2025)

Summary

House Bill 1271, State of Washington, 2025 Regular Session, by Representatives Nance, Dent, Marshall, Bronoske, and Leavitt, among others, read first time 01/14/25 and referred to Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans. The act relates to early deployment of state fire service resources and amends RCW 43.43.960. The text sets out definitions, including all risk resources, chief, fire chief, jurisdiction, mobilization, mutual aid, and state fire marshal. All risk resources are described as those regularly provided by fire departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection service authorities.

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Full text

     H-0362.1

                                HOUSE BILL 1271


     State of Washington        69th Legislature          2025 Regular Session

     By   Representatives  Nance,   Dent, Marshall, Bronoske,  Leavitt,
     Salahuddin, Ryu, Davis, Mena, Ramel, Dye, Barkis, Klicker, Reed,
     Ormsby, Scott, Eslick, Parshley, Taylor, Kloba, Timmons, Peterson,
     Richards, Simmons, Hunt, and Hill

     Read first time 01/14/25.      Referred   to   Committee     on   Technology,
     Economic Development, & Veterans.




 1       AN ACT Relating to early deployment         of   state    fire   service
 2   resources; and amending RCW 43.43.960.


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


 4       Sec. 1.   RCW 43.43.960 and 2019 c 259 s 1 are each amended to
 5   read as follows:
 6       Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in
 7   this section apply throughout this subchapter.
 8       (1) "All risk resources" means those resources regularly provided
 9   by fire departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection
10   service authorities required to respond to natural or man-made
11   incidents, including but not limited to:
12       (a) Wild land fires;
13       (b) Landslides;
14       (c) Earthquakes;
15       (d) Floods; and
16       (e) Contagious diseases.
17       (2) "Chief" means the chief of the Washington state patrol.
18       (3) "Fire chief" includes the chief officer of a statutorily
19   authorized   fire    agency,   or   the   fire    chief's   authorized
20   representative. Also included are the department of natural resources


                                      p. 1                                 HB 1271
 1   fire control chief, and the department of natural resources regional
 2   managers.
 3       (4) "Jurisdiction" means state, county, city, fire district,
 4   regional fire protection service authority, or port district units,
 5   or other units covered by this chapter.
 6       (5) "Mobilization" means that all risk resources regularly
 7   provided by fire departments, fire districts, and regional fire
 8   protection service authorities beyond those available through
 9   existing agreements will be requested and, when available, sent in
10   preparation of, or response to, an emergency or disaster situation
11   that has ((exceeded)) or is predicted to exceed the capabilities of
12   available   local  resources.   During   a   large  scale  emergency,
13   mobilization includes the redistribution of regional or statewide
14   risk resources to either direct emergency incident assignments or to
15   assignment in communities where resources are needed. All risk
16   resources may not be mobilized to assist law enforcement with police
17   activities during a civil protest or demonstration, or other exercise
18   by the people of their constitutionally protected First Amendment
19   rights, or other protected concerted activity, however, fire
20   departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection service
21   authorities are not restricted from providing medical care or aid and
22   firefighting when mobilized for any purpose.
23       When mobilization is declared and authorized as provided in this
24   chapter, all risk resources regularly provided by fire departments,
25   fire districts, and regional fire protection service authorities
26   including those of the host fire protection authorities, i.e.
27   incident jurisdiction, shall be deemed as mobilized under this
28   chapter, including those that responded earlier under existing mutual
29   aid or other agreement. All nonhost fire protection authorities
30   providing resources in response to a mobilization declaration shall
31   be eligible for expense reimbursement as provided by this chapter
32   from the time of the mobilization declaration.
33       This chapter shall not reduce or suspend the authority or
34   responsibility of the department of natural resources under chapter
35   76.04 RCW.
36       (6) "Mutual aid" means emergency interagency assistance provided
37   without compensation under an agreement between jurisdictions under
38   chapter 39.34 RCW.



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1       (7) "State fire marshal" means the director of fire protection in
2   the Washington state patrol.

                                 --- END ---




                                    p. 3                          HB 1271


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