On Monday, April 25, the Alaska Senate unanimously passed House Bill 209, an act relating to emergency firefighters, which amends current state statute AS 41.15.030(b) and will allow the Department of Natural Resources to use general fund appropriations dedicated to fuels reduction, to pay emergency firefighting personnel to perform non-emergency hazardous fuels reduction work. The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 209 earlier this year in March.
Sen. Click Bishop said:
“HB 209 will allow the DNR to use general fund appropriations dedicated to fuels reduction to pay emergency firefighting personnel to perform non-emergency hazardous fuels reductions. Ultimately saving money by developing an Alaskan trained workforce, rather than importing crews from the Lower-48. We all know with the climate change and the fires in the Lower-48, the cavalry’s not coming anymore because they’re busy out there doing their own fires.”
Sen. Bishop added that Alaska needs to train their own:
“Alaskan crews are less expensive than imported crews. They’re right here, on time, on demand, (click) in a moment’s notice. Our crews are trained in tactics that are Alaska tactics, Alaska specific tactics. They know the terrain; they know the fuels and they know the conditions. They can quickly attack these wildfires in aggressive manner ensuring a smaller fire footprint.”
Response times are greatly reduced to aggressively attack and address dangerous wildfires, when developing trained Alaskan forces, rather than importing Lower-48 crews. Fire suppression costs also are reduced by having local response teams. The passage of this legislation aims to help rebuild the mostly rural-based firefighting crews, strengthen local economies, and provide enhanced public safety to Alaskan communities.
HB 209 now heads to the office of the Governor for approval.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.