Detection Components for Wildfire Mitigation

The bill specifies criteria that a detection component must satisfy. The bill also creates the front line innovation and response efficiency fire technology cash fund ( FIRE fund) in the state treasury. The money in the FIRE fund is annually appropriated to the department to be expended by the division for the purposes of the bill utilization of fire detection response and management technologies, deployment of detection components through vendor agreements, and utilization of technological tools that enable advancement in fire detection and mitigation practices. In current law, money in the unused state-owned real property fund is continuously appropriated to the department of personnel for several purposes, including paying for public-private agreements and associated costs. Of the money that is appropriated for this purpose, the bill requires the general assembly to transfer the following amounts to the FIRE fund:

For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, up to $1,000,000; For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $2,000,000; and For the 2027-28 state fiscal year, $3,000,000.

The department is required to include information concerning the division's activities under the bill in the department's annual report to the legislative subject matter committees. (Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.) (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)