House Bill Analysis — HB 1969, Law Enforcement Aviation Support Grant Program (Washington, February 18, 2025)
Summary
A House Bill Analysis of HB 1969, concerning the law enforcement aviation support grant program, from the House of Representatives Office of Program Research for the Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans Committee, with a hearing date of February 18, 2025. The brief summary says the bill creates a grant program for local law enforcement rotary wing aviation support units and makes sheriff's offices eligible for funds used to assist local fire departments with aerial fire response. Under the summary of the bill, the Military Department distributes half of the appropriated funds to the support units. The analysis lists the appropriation as None and says a fiscal note was requested on February 13, 2025.
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“House Bill Analysis — HB 1969, Law Enforcement Aviation Support Grant Program (Washington, February 18, 2025).”
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Washington State BILL
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research ANALYSIS
Technology, Economic Development, &
Veterans Committee
HB 1969
Brief Description: Concerning the law enforcement aviation support grant program.
Sponsors: Representatives Burnett, Low, Griffey, Graham, Dent, Ley, Volz, Schmidt, Berg,
Schmick, Leavitt, Klicker, Keaton, Eslick and Barkis.
Brief Summary of Bill
• Creates a grant program to distribute funds to maintain and operate local
law enforcement rotary wing aviation support units.
• Provides reimbursement for search and rescue by aviation support units
and provides remaining funds to the Washington State Patrol's Aviation
Section.
• Makes sheriff's offices eligible for funds used to assist local fire
departments with aerial fire response for wildland fire fighting.
Hearing Date: 2/18/25
Staff: Martha Wehling (786-7067).
Background:
Aviation Support Units.
Some state agencies and local governments have aviation support units that are used to assist the
state in emergencies, such as firefighting and search and rescue. These include the Washington
Air National Guard in Spokane, Camp Murray, and Joint Base Lewis McChord; the Department
of Natural Resources in Olympia, Yakima, and additional bases during fire season; the King
County Sheriff's Office; and the Pierce County Air Unit.
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative
members in their deliberations. This analysis is not part of the legislation nor does it
constitute a statement of legislative intent.
House Bill Analysis -1- HB 1969
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) has an Aviation Section which uses aircraft and equipment
for enforcement, incident assessment, transportation, and surveillance. Operations supported by
these aircraft include transportation and search and rescue. The Aviation Section is based in
Olympia.
Rotary wing aircraft include helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Aviation support units
may use rotary wing aircraft as well as fixed wing aircraft.
Search and Rescue.
The Military Department administers the comprehensive emergency management program in
Washington. One of the emergency management functions is to support search and rescue
operations. The Adjutant General appoints a state coordinator of search and rescue operations to
coordinate state resources, services, and facilities requested by political subdivisions in support
of search and rescue operations. A "political subdivision" is a county, city, or town.
The chief law enforcement officer of each political subdivision is responsible for local search
and rescue activities that are land based. The Department of Transportation, Aviation Division,
is responsible for air searches for downed or missing civil aircraft. Search and rescue activities
must be in accordance with state and local operations plans adopted by the governing body of the
political subdivision. The Military Department estimates that there are 900 to 1,000 search and
rescue missions each year, staffed primarily by more than 5,000 citizen volunteers.
Emergency or Disaster Response.
During an emergency, when a local jurisdiction needs assistance beyond the capabilities of local
resources and mutual aid agreements, a request may be made for a state fire service mobilization
(Mobilization). Mobilization means that all risk resources regularly provided by fire
departments, fire districts, and regional fire protection service authorities beyond those available
through existing agreements will be requested; and when available, sent in response to an
emergency or disaster situation that has exceeded the capabilities of available local resources.
During a large-scale emergency, Mobilization includes the redistribution of regional or statewide
risk resources to either direct emergency incident assignments or to assignments in communities
where resources are needed.
The Chief of the WSP has the authority to mobilize jurisdictions under the Washington State Fire
Services Mobilization Plan (Mobilization Plan). The purpose of the Mobilization Plan is to
provide a mechanism and process to quickly notify, assemble, and deploy fire service personnel
and equipment to any local fire jurisdiction in Washington that has expended or will expend all
available local and mutual aid resources in attempting to manage fires, disasters, or other events
that jeopardize the ability of a jurisdiction to provide for the protection of life and property. The
State Fire Marshal in the WSP serves as the state fire resources coordinator when a Mobilization
Plan is initiated.
Aerial Wildland Fire Fighting.
House Bill Analysis -2- HB 1969
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) uses suppression funding to assist local and tribal
fire departments with aerial fire response capabilities during the initial attack phase of fighting a
wildland fire. To use suppression funding, the fire department must have an agreement with the
DNR, the aviation asset must come from an approved list, and the requesting fire department
must make a request to a coordination center. Each year, the DNR is required to consult with the
state Fire Defense Committee, fire service representatives, and the State Fire Marshal's Office to
review aviation program performance and aviation needs for the next year.
The DNR provides an annual report to the Legislature on wildfires. The report must include an
appendix on aviation usage by local fire departments, including the cost of initial attack aviation,
identification of local fire departments that used the funding, identification of fires when
suppression funding was used, and recommendations for improvements to the wildland fire
response process.
Summary of Bill:
Financial Assistance to Local Law Enforcement Rotary Wing Aviation Support Units.
The Military Department is required to develop and implement a Law Enforcement Aviation
Support Grant Program (Aviation Program) to provide financial assistance to local law
enforcement rotary wing aviation support units (Support Units). The Aviation Program will
provide aviation support to a jurisdiction when an aircraft is available, without cost to the
requesting jurisdiction.
The Military Department will distribute half of the appropriated funds to the Support Units.
Support Units will be identified by the Military Department and a statewide association of law
enforcement executives. The distributed funds are required to be used for maintenance and
operation of the Support Units, including: pilot and crew costs, aircraft maintenance, upgrades,
acquisition, insurance, fuel, training, and other expenses associated with operating an aviation
support unit.
The Military Department is required to make the remaining appropriated funds available for
Support Units for search and rescue costs, including training. The costs that may be reimbursed
are fuel, maintenance, and pilot and crew expenses. Depreciation costs are not reimbursable.
Any remaining appropriated funds are required to be awarded to the Washington State Patrol's
Aviation Section. All funds awarded for the Aviation Program are required to be used to
supplement, not supplant, existing local funding for Support Units.
Wildland Fire Suppression.
Sheriff's offices are identified as frontline responders to wildland fires, including the need for
rapid decisions and access to aviation resources to provide fire retardants or water. Sheriff's
offices are eligible for the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) funds used to assist local
fire departments with aerial fire response for wildland fire fighting. The aviation asset must be
owned or leased by the sheriff's office to be eligible for suppression funding. The DNR is
House Bill Analysis -3- HB 1969
required to include usage by sheriff's offices in its appendix on aviation usage in its annual
wildfire report. The DNR's wildland fire suppression funding statutes will expire on July 1,
2027.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on February 13, 2025.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is
passed.
House Bill Analysis -4- HB 1969
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