What does Preamble of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This bill, formally titled 'To direct the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator to improve fire weather and fire environment forecasting, detection, and local collaboration, and for other purposes,' aims to improve fire weather and fire environment forecasting. The bill directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator to enhance forecasting, detection, and local collaboration related to wildfires.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This bill is formally titled the Fire Weather Development Act of 2025.

What does FIRE WEATHER FORECASTING AND DETECTION. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section establishes a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve fire weather and fire environment forecasting, detection, and delivery of products or services. The program's goals include reducing loss of life, injuries, property damage, and economic damage from wildfires through accurate forecasts and warnings. The program aims to improve the prediction of wildfire ignition, intensification, and spread, as well as the observation and monitoring of fire weather and fire environments. The Administrator of NOAA is required to solicit input from various stakeholders, including the weather industry, academic entities, and other relevant parties. The NOAA Administrator may conduct research, development, testing, and operational transition activities related to fire weather and fire environments. The program will support the non-Federal wildland fire research community through competitive grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. NOAA may enter into contracts to obtain additional airborne and space-based data to enhance fire weather and fire environment understanding. The program aims to assess and utilize unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to improve data collection and modeling for fire weather and fire environment observations. The program includes provisions to avoid duplication of activities with the National Interagency Fire Center and the Joint Fire Science Program.

What does INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON WILDFIRES. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section establishes the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildfires (Committee) within 90 days of the Act's enactment. The Committee's purpose is to coordinate the development of accurate and timely wildfire forecasting, detection, monitoring, and related services for State and local emergency officials. The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will serve as the Committee's chair. The Committee's membership includes heads or designees from agencies such as FEMA, the United States Fire Administration, the Forest Service, and NASA. Within one year of enactment, the Committee must submit a strategic plan to Congress outlining short-term, mid-term, and long-term objectives. The strategic plan must describe agency collaboration, stakeholder engagement, needed infrastructure, and guidance for Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial entities. Agencies can enter into interagency agreements to cooperate on wildfire forecasting, detection, and monitoring tools and research. Agencies are encouraged to increase engagement with international, academic, State, and local communities regarding wildfire-related infrastructure, data, and research.

What does NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WILDFIRES. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section establishes the National Advisory Committee on Wildfires. The committee will consist of 7 to 15 members with expertise in wildfire forecasting, detection, monitoring, and related services. Members must be from specified entities including research institutions, emergency management agencies, and state/local governments. Committee members may not be federal government employees. The committee's responsibilities include assessing and recommending improvements to wildfire forecasting, detection, and communication. It will also evaluate the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildfires. Members will serve without compensation. The committee must report to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy at least biennially. The committee is scheduled to terminate on September 30, 2029. Advisory Committee members must recuse themselves from activities involving a pecuniary interest.

What does ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRE WEATHER TESTBED. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section establishes a fire weather testbed under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The testbed aims to facilitate collaboration between various entities, including federal, state, and local governments, academia, research labs, and the private sector, to evaluate fire weather technology and services. The purpose of the testbed is to accelerate the implementation and use of new capabilities by NOAA, federal land management agencies, and other stakeholders. NOAA's Administrator is responsible for establishing the testbed. The Administrator is restricted from using funds, personnel, or infrastructure from existing NOAA cooperative institutes for the testbed. The section authorizes appropriations of $4,000,000 annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to support the testbed.

What does INCIDENT METEOROLOGIST WORKFORCE. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section assesses the National Weather Service workforce and training challenges for Incident Meteorologists. The Administrator of NOAA must submit an assessment and roadmap to Congress within six months. The assessment considers IT support, logistics, weather conditions, and stakeholder feedback. It includes identifying the number of Incident Meteorologists needed and potential hiring authorities. Overtime pay for Incident Meteorologists related to wildland fire suppression is exempt from certain pay limits.

What does RESEARCH ON WILDLAND FIRE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct research on public safety communication coordination standards among wildland firefighters, fire management officials, and agencies. The research includes improving and integrating communications systems for secure real-time data transmission. Field testing and measurement of information dissemination technologies will be conducted to develop standards for data delivery. The Director must develop and publish recommendations to improve public safety communication coordination. These recommendations will be transmitted to the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy for implementation. A report containing these recommendations must be submitted to the House and Senate committees. The Comptroller General will report on the extent to which agencies have implemented the recommendations within one year of publication. The section defines key terms including 'Director,' 'member agency,' 'wildland firefighter,' 'fire management response officials,' and 'technology manufacturers'.

What does DEFINITIONS. of Fire Weather Development Act of 2025 do?

This section defines terms used within the Act. “Fire environment” is defined as environmental conditions influencing fuel and fire behavior, smoke dispersion, and associated environmental impacts. “Fire weather” is defined as weather conditions influencing wildfires and fires at the wildland-urban interface, including air quality, smoke, and meteorological parameters.

Back to bills

Fire Weather Development Act of 2025

Last updated: 6/23/2025 · Introduced: 6/23/2025

Author: Jeff Crank (R-CO)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill establishes a NOAA program to improve wildfire forecasting, detection, and related services, aiming to reduce losses from wildfires.
It creates an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildfires to coordinate wildfire forecasting and monitoring efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
The bill establishes a National Advisory Committee on Wildfires to assess and recommend improvements to wildfire forecasting and communication, evaluating the Interagency Coordinating Committee.
It authorizes $4 million annually through 2029 to establish a Fire Weather Testbed within NOAA, facilitating collaboration to evaluate new fire weather technologies.
The bill directs NIST to conduct research and develop recommendations to improve public safety communication coordination among wildland firefighters and fire management officials.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 7 more.

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