Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40) and Adam Gray (CA-13) introduced the Wildfire Response and Preparedness (WRAP) Act to create a 30-minute national standard response time to the extent practical to any wildland fire on federal land administered by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior.
Spectrum News 1 SoCal first reported on the bill HERE.
“Timely response to a wildfire can make the difference between life and death,” said Congresswoman Kim, who represents the Cleveland National Forest Trabuco Ranger District. “My community knows the devastation of wildfires firsthand as we still recover from last year’s Airport Fire that started in Trabuco Canyon and burned 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside Counties. The WRAP Act will help equip our communities with the manpower and tools needed to contain wildfires and save lives.”
“Californians are far too familiar with wildfires tearing through our communities, threatening lives, public health and property. The only way to counter increasingly dangerous wildfires is by responding to them as quickly as possible. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan, commonsense legislation which would protect our firefighters, save federal lands and prevent catastrophic loss of life and property across the country,” said Congressman Gray.
“The Western Fire Chiefs Association is proud to support the core mission of the Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act – ensuring a robust wildland fire response capability to stem the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Through effective partnerships and strategically leveraging local air and ground resources for fire response, we can give our brave first responders the clarity and tools they need to save lives and keep our communities safe,” said Bob Roper, CEO, Western Fire Chiefs Association.
“The United Aerial Firefighters Association greatly supports this bill to develop aerial response standards. This will ensure there are aircraft available to respond to incidents and support the firefighters on the ground,” said Paul Petersen, Executive Director, United Aerial Firefighters Association.
Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Read the bill HERE.
