About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (August 6, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveegr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ir~ h i~iP a 4 9 Updated August 6,2021 Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires. Wildfires can have s ome beneficial impacts on an ecosystem, but they often threaten homes and communities, forcing the evacuation ofthousands ofpeople. Wildfires are sometimes caused by lightning strikes and may occur when a prescribed burn escapes control or through other human activities (deliberate or accidental). Annually from2011 to 2020, there were an average of 62,805 wildfires and an average of 7.5 million acres impacted. In 2020, 58,950 wildfires burned 10.1 million acres, the second-most acreage impacted in a year since 1960; nearly 40% of these acres were in California. In 2020, wildfires destroyedneady 18,000 structures nationwide, 54% (9,630) of which were residences. Congress and others takeholders have considered options for federal support and as sistance to address wildfire suppression during a fire, post-wildfire recovery, and land management activities to reduce the riskof future catastrophic wildfires. During a Fire The federal governmentis responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations. The Forest Service (FS), within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), manages wildfire response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. Federal responsibility for wildfire suppressionis intended to protect lives, property, andresourcesonfederallands. Federal wildfire policy is to evaluate the risks to firefighter and public safety and welfare-and to natural, ecological, and cultural values to be protected-to determine the appropriate response to wildfire. Depending on the risk assessment, the federalresponse may range fromactive suppressionto monitoring, as supported bythe area's land and resource management plans. States are responsible for suppressing wildfires on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, althoughthe response may be managed jointly for comingled land ownership, including federallands. The federalgovernment supports the states in severalways. Many states have partnerships with federal agencies to provide wildfire suppressions ervices through cooperative fire protection agreements. These agreements authorize federal and state partners to share resources-such as aviation equipment and pers onnel-during a wildfire season, allowing for a coordinated interagency response that deploys resources to areas of greatest critical need. The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group, located at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, ID, coordinates and allocates federal, state, andprivate forces (as well as the military, when called upon) and resources at a national level. Geographic Area Coordination Centers coordinate and allocate resources at 10 regional levels. The cost of these resources is then reimbursed as specified in the cooperative fire protection master agreement, which often lists several different methods to apportion costs, each with different financial impacts. A state also may request assistance fromthe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security for wildfires that began on state orprivate lands. If a wildfire were burning out of controland threatened to become a major disaster, a governor could request an emergency declaration. However, the most frequent assistance provided at this stage fromFEMA is through Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs), as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act; 42 U.S.C. §§5271 et seq.). Once issued, an FMAG declaration authorizes various forms of federal as sistance (e.g., equipment; personnel; andgrants to state, local, and tribal governments) for the control, management, and mitigation of any fire on certain public orprivate forestland or gras sland that might become a major dis aster. The grants may reimburse up to 75% of allowable suppression costs for eligible fires. FMAGdeclarations, unlike some major dis aster declarations, do not authorize as sistance to individuals and households. A state or tribe may request that the President declare a wildfire a major dis as ter under the Stafford Act, authorizing other as sistance andrecovery programs, including assistance to individuals and households. The federal government als os upports state and local efforts to evacuate areas threatened by wildfires. A presidential declaration triggers federal aid to protect property and public health and s afety while attempting to preserve state autonomy andresponsibility. The National Planning Frameworks, required to be created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, guide FEMA onhowto assist state and local agencies with emergencies and disasters, including wildfires. Information on active wildfires may be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov. COVID- 19 Pandemic Considerations The COVID-19 pandemic presents several interrelated challenges for wildland fire management. Wildland fire response typically involves activities and conditions that can facilitate the transmis sion of infectious diseases s uch as COVID-19. For example, wildland firefighters and other support personnelwork and live in close proximity to one another during an active fire, and fire crews often travel to and from different states over the course of a fire season. In addition, exposure to wildfire smoke may increase the ttps ://crs reps

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most