A5431

An Act establishing a Forest Fire Preparedness Commission in the Department of Environmental Protection.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established, in the Department of Environmental Protection, the "Forest Fire Preparedness Commission."

b. The commission shall consist of 20 members, as follows:

(1) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, ex officio, or the commissioner's designee, who shall serve as chairperson;

(2) the State Firewarden appointed pursuant to R.S.13:9-7, ex officio, or the State Firewarden's designee;

(3) the three division forest firewardens appointed pursuant to R.S.13:9-7, ex officio, or the firewardens' designees;

(4) the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs, or the director's designee;

(5) the New Jersey State Police Superintendent, ex officio, or the superintendent's designee;

(6) the Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, ex officio, or the director's designee; and

(7) 12 members appointed by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection no later than 60 days after the effective date of this act, including:

(a) three district forest firewardens employed by the State Forest Fire Service;

(b) one member of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-4);

(d) one member of the Fish and Game Council;

(e) one officer of the New Jersey Forestry Association;

(f) four members of State, regional, county, or municipal firefighting or other emergency response organizations; and

(g) one member of the public with knowledge or experience in managing woodlands.

c. The Forest Fire Preparedness Commission shall hold its initial meeting as soon as practicable, but no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act. The commission shall meet no less than six times per year at such places and times as the chairperson may designate. The commission shall hold a minimum of two annual public hearings. The chairperson may appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission. A majority of the membership of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of commission business.

d. The Forest Fire Preparedness Commission shall meet with key stakeholders, advocates, and experts, and shall consult with policy experts in firefighting, forest fire mitigation techniques, forest stewardship, emergency response, environmental science, or other applicable fields.

e. The Department of Environmental Protection shall provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff to the commission, as may be necessary for the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission to carry out its duties. The commission shall also be entitled to call upon the services of any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as may be available to it for its purposes.

f. The duties of the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission shall be to carry out an audit of the State's readiness to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires, and to establish protocols to ensure that municipal, county, regional, and State emergency response organizations, including police, firefighting, and medical responders, communicate regularly and effectively so that they carry out a coordinated and effective response to any wildfires in the State. To carry out these duties, the commission shall:

(1) review the existing the State forest fire plan prepared pursuant to P.L.1955, c.224 (C.32:24-1 et seq.);

(2) review the provisions of the Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact entered into pursuant to P.L.1955, c.224 (C.32:24-1 et seq.);

(3) review any relevant local or regional forest management plans or fire prevention plans;

(4) conduct an audit of the current readiness of the State to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires, with particular attention paid to areas that have the potential to threaten lives and property, and including an assessment of the efficacy of the use of controlled burns in the State;

(5) provide recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) regarding changes to State protocols, regulations, and laws that would increase the State's ability to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires;

(6) develop a comprehensive roadmap to be utilized by State, regional, county, and local emergency responders, including firefighters, police, and medical responders, in order to coordinate their responses to wildfires; and

(7) develop standardized lines of communication among the State Forest Fire Service and State, regional, county, and municipal emergency response organizations for the purposes of wildfire response;

(8) review and update, if necessary, evacuation protocols during wildfire emergencies; and

(9) develop a plan by which firefighting planes and helicopters can ensure access to a constant supply of suitable water to be used for firefighting purposes.

g. No later than two years after the effective date of this act, the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission shall submit a final report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature on the findings, plans, recommendations, and activities of the commission, including a copy of the final response roadmap developed pursuant to paragraph (6) of subsection f. of this section and a summary of the standardized lines of communication developed pursuant to paragraph (7) of subsection f. of this section.

h. The Forest Fire Preparedness Commission shall be dissolved 30 days after it produces the report required pursuant to subsection g. of this section.

2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission produces the report required pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill would establish a "Forest Fire Preparedness Commission" in the Department of Environmental Protection.

The commission would be composed of 20 members, including the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the State Firewarden, and the Superintendent of the State Police, or their designees, and representatives of local emergency response organizations. The commission would be charged with various duties related to ensuring that the State is prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner to wildfires, including:

(1) performing a comprehensive audit of the State's current protocols related to wildfire response;

(2) developing a comprehensive roadmap that may be utilized by State, regional, county, and local emergency responders, including firefighters, police, and medical responders, in order to coordinate their responses to wildfires; and

(3) developing standardized lines of communication among the State Forest Fire Service and State, regional, county, and municipal emergency response organizations for the purposes of wildfire response.

The bill would require the commission to produce a report that produces its findings, plans, recommendations, and activities no later than two years after the bill's enactment, after which the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission would dissolve.