16 U.S.C. § 2106 : US Code - Section 2106: Rural fire prevention and control

Search 16 U.S.C. § 2106 : US Code - Section 2106: Rural fire prevention and control

(a) Congressional findings
Congress finds that -
(1) significant accomplishments have been made by the Secretary
and cooperating States in the prevention and control of fires on
forest lands and on nonforested watersheds for more than fifty
years;
(2) progress is being made by the Secretary and cooperating
States and rural communities in the protection of human lives,
agricultural crops and livestock, property and other
improvements, and natural resources from fires in rural areas;
(3) notwithstanding the accomplishments and progress that have
been made, fire prevention and control on rural lands and in
rural communities are of continuing high priority to protect
human lives, agricultural crops and livestock, property and other
improvements, and natural resources;
(4) the effective cooperative relationships between the
Secretary and the States regarding fire prevention and control on
rural lands and in rural communities should be retained and
improved;
(5) efforts in fire prevention and control in rural areas
should be coordinated among Federal, State, and local agencies;
and
(6) in addition to providing assistance to State and local
rural fire prevention and control programs, the Secretary should
provide prompt and adequate assistance whenever a rural fire
emergency overwhelms, or threatens to overwhelm, the firefighting
capability of the affected State or rural area.
(b) Implementation of provisions
Notwithstanding the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of
1974 [15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.] the Secretary is authorized, under
whatever conditions the Secretary may prescribe, to -
(1) cooperate with State foresters or equivalent State
officials in developing systems and methods for the prevention,
control, suppression, and prescribed use of fires on rural lands
and in rural communities that will protect human lives,
agricultural crops and livestock, property and other
improvements, and natural resources;
(2) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to
State foresters or equivalent State officials, and through them
to other agencies and individuals, for the prevention, control,
suppression, and prescribed use of fires on non-Federal forest
lands and other non-Federal lands;
(3) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to
State foresters or equivalent State officials in cooperative
efforts to organize, train, and equip local firefighting forces,
including those of Indian tribes or other native groups, to
prevent, control, and suppress fires threatening human lives,
crops, livestock, farmsteads or other improvements, pastures,
orchards, wildlife, rangeland, woodland, and other resources in
rural areas. As used herein, the term "rural areas" shall have
the meaning set out in the first clause of section 1926(a)(7)
(!1) of title 7; and
(4) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to
State foresters or equivalent State officials, and through them
to other agencies and individuals, including rural volunteer fire
departments, to conduct preparedness and mobilization activities,
including training, equipping, and otherwise enabling State and
local firefighting agencies to respond to requests for fire
suppression assistance.
(c) Encouragement of use of excess personal property by State and
local fire forces receiving assistance; cooperation and
assistance of Administrator of General Services
The Secretary, with the cooperation and assistance of the
Administrator of General Services, shall encourage the use of
excess personal property (within the meaning of the Federal
Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949) by State and
local fire forces receiving assistance under this section.
(d) Coordination of assistance with assistance of Secretary of
Commerce under Federal fire prevention and control provisions
To promote maximum effectiveness and economy, the Secretary shall
seek to coordinate the assistance the Secretary provides under this
section with the assistance provided by the Secretary of Commerce
under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 [15
U.S.C. 2201 et seq.].
(e) Authorization of appropriations for implementation of
provisions
(1) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated annually such
sums as may be needed to implement paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of
subsection (b) of this section.
(2)(A) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated annually
$70,000,000 to carry out subsection (b)(4) of this section. Of the
total amount appropriated to carry out subsection (b)(4) of this
section -
(i) one-half shall be available only for State foresters or
equivalent State officials, and through them to other agencies
and individuals, of which not less than $100,000 shall be made
available to each State; and
(ii) one-half shall be available only for rural volunteer fire
departments.
(B) The Federal share of the cost of any activity carried out
with funds made available pursuant to this paragraph may not exceed
50 percent of the cost of that activity. The non-Federal share for
such activity may be in the form of cash, services, or in kind
contributions.
(f) Special rural fire disaster fund; establishment,
appropriations, etc.
There shall be established in the Treasury a special rural fire
disaster fund that shall be immediately available to and used by
the Secretary to supplement any other money available to carry out
this section with respect to rural fire emergencies, as determined
by the Secretary. The Secretary shall determine that State and
local resources are fully used or will be fully used before
expending money in the disaster fund to assist a State in which one
or more rural fire emergencies exist. There are hereby authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be needed to establish and
replenish the disaster fund established by this subsection.
(g) Definitions
As used in this section -
(1) the term "rural volunteer fire department" means any
organized, not for profit, fire protection organization that
provides service primarily to a community or city with a
population of 10,000 or less or to a rural area, as defined by
the Secretary, whose firefighting personnel is 80 percent or more
volunteer, and that is recognized as a fire department by the
laws of the State; and
(2) the term "mobilization" means any activity in which one
firefighting organization assists another that has requested
assistance.