by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 22, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republican legislators continue to take action to prepare their state for another dangerous fire season.
This week, the Arizona House Republicans announced the formation of the Fire Preparedness Ad Hoc Committee “to bring the Legislature to the people and assess issues related to Arizona’s readiness for catastrophic fires and insurance policy coverage across rural and urban Arizona.”
The chairman of the new committee is State Representative David Marshall, who was selected by Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro.
In a statement accompanying the announcement from the Arizona House Republicans, Representative Marshall said, “I’m honored that Speaker Montenegro has entrusted me to chair this committee because this issue couldn’t be more urgent for Arizona. The devastation caused by wildfires is staggering – homes lost, businesses wiped out, communities shattered. We’ve seen the warning signs in our state and the catastrophic disasters unfolding in places like California. It’s our job to make sure we are as prepared as possible to prevent and respond to these fires before they destroy previous lives and priceless property.”
Speaker Montenegro stated, “House Republicans have made public safety one of our highest priorities – whether that’s tackling violent crime, securing the border, or preparing for the next wildfire season. The people of Arizona deserve leadership that takes action, not excuses, and that’s exactly what we intend to deliver.”
Marshall added, “Firefighters do some of the toughest, most selfless work out there. They put themselves in harm’s way to save lives, homes, and entire communities. Yet, they’re often underpaid, overworked, and asked to do more with less. This committee will take a hard look at what’s needed to ensure they have the tools and support to do their jobs safely and effectively.”
The press release revealed that State Representatives John Gillette, Gail Griffin, Walter Blackman, Myron Tsosie, and Stephanie Stahl Hamilton would be added to the ad hoc committee. This panel will finalize a report and recommendations by the end of the year.
According to the information provided by House Republicans, the committee will look to do the following through the hearings this upcoming year:
- “Research and uncover any weaknesses in our current fire prevention system. Make recommendations on ways to address these areas.
- “Develop strategies to reduce nonrenewal of homeowners insurance policies across the state with an emphasis on high-risk areas.
- “Evaluate current building codes to make sure they allow for maximum fire protection without increasing costs to new home buyers.
- “Review and make recommendations on water supply needed for fire suppression.
- “Evaluate and make recommendations on current forestry practices regarding wildland fires.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 11, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislative Republicans continue to prioritize the state’s wildfire mitigation efforts in anticipation of another active season this summer.
Earlier this week, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus issued a press release to update on two wildfire mitigation-related bills that had passed out of committees in the chamber.
One of those bills was SB 1297, which “directs $6.5 million to the Department of Administration for local fire departments to implement a Fire Incident management System, provid[ing] funding to equip fire engines with state-of-the-art communications systems that will improve coordination between local fire departments, emergency responders, and state authorities.” The proposal, which was sponsored by Senator Kevin Payne, passed the National Resources, Energy & Water Committee, with an overwhelmingly bipartisan 7-1 vote (one Democrat voting in opposition – Senator Sundareshan).
The other piece of legislation was SB 1285, which “appropriates $12.5 million to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management [to be] awarded as grants to fire districts for the purchase of tactical water tenders, as well as type 3 and type 6 fire engines for wildfire response.” This bill, which was sponsored by Senator David Gowan, was approved by the Appropriations Committee with a 9-0 result (with one member not voting – Senator Epstein).
In a statement, Senator Gowan said, “With the ongoing development of lands adjacent to natural forested and desert areas, the wildfire threat is front and center for Arizona communities. I am committed to providing our first responders with the resources they need to save lives and property from wildfire tragedy.”
Senator Payne added, “While California’s government prioritized progressive political agendas like DEI over the resources needed to fight wildfires efficiently, Arizona Senate Republicans remain focused on what truly matters – protecting our communities and preparing for the annual fire season. We will continue to invest in the tools and technology necessary to ensure our firefighters have what they need so that what happened in California never happens here at home.”
Fire Chief Jake Rhoades, the President of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, also weighed in on the efforts to pass these bills, writing, “Ensuring firefighters are properly trained and equipped to respond to wildfire emergencies is a top priority for fire districts across the state. The passage of SB 1285 and SB 1297 would significantly assist our efforts, by equipping our personnel with essential firefighting apparatus needed to complete the mission.”
The bills from Senate Republicans to help combat another dangerous fire season in Arizona come at the same time House Republicans are also attempting to pass similar proposals in their chamber. In a press release issued earlier this week, State Representative Lupe Diaz highlighted that Governor Katie Hobbs’ proposed budget “offers zero funding for hazardous vegetation removal or forest thinning despite recognizing that wildland fire costs have been ‘much higher in recent years’ due to neglected forest maintenance.” Hobbs did not mention plans to address wildfire mitigation efforts in her State of the State address to the Arizona Legislature at the beginning of the 57th Regular Session last month, which stood out due to the very recent example with the destructive Los Angeles fires.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by AZ Free News | Jun 15, 2021 | News
On Tuesday, June 15, the Arizona Legislature will convene for the special session and is expected to vote on a proposal by Governor Doug Ducey later this week. Ducey and legislative leaders announced the special session’s goal is to approve $100 million to combat and prevent wildfires, equip firefighters and communities with the resources they need, and prepare for after effects such as flooding and mudslides.
“This wildfire season has already been devastating, and we still have a long, hot summer ahead of us. While Arizona has strong wildfire suppression and prevention efforts in place, we need to do more,” said Governor Ducey. “Our brave firefighters must have all the necessary tools, resources and support to fight the blazes and stay safe. We need to protect our communities from floods and other disasters that could result from these wildfires. Hard-hit communities and nonprofits offering support need financial assistance to weather the devastation of this wildfire season and protect families in need. We can get this done — and we can do it in an urgent, bipartisan manner. Thank you to Legislative leadership for coming together to develop an investment package that will help so many Arizonans.”
Governor Ducey, state fire professionals, and legislative leadership have identified targeted investments for wildfire preparedness, response and recovery in consultation with impacted local communities. The investments include:
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$24.6 million for a partnership between the Department of Forest and Fire Management and the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry to reduce wildfire risk to Arizona communities by conducting hazardous vegetation removal; and
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$75 million for fire suppression efforts, recovery efforts including post-fire floods, economic assistance for those displaced, and assistance to landowners for emergency repairs to infrastructure damaged by wildfires.
On June 9, the Governor issued two Declarations of Emergency in response to the Telegraph and Mescal Fires, making available up to $400,000 for response efforts.
In March, the Governor signed Senate Bill 1442 to prevent wildfires by allowing for additional partnerships to employ Arizona inmates to clear forests of debris. The legislation aligns with the Arizona Healthy Forest Initiative proposed in the Governor’s budget which builds on proven methods to protect communities, while engaging individuals in state correctional facilities to equip them with new skills and reduce recidivism.
This is the third special session since the Governor took office in 2015.
