Plan to contain future wildfires advanced

Senators gave first-round approval March 25 to a bill that would establish new procedures for fighting and preventing wildfires.

LB634, introduced by Hyannis Sen. Al Davis, would direct the Nebraska Forest Service to:
• contract with private aviation companies to place two single engine air tankers at airports near Chadron and Valentine during fire season;
• thin forests to reduce fuel loads, substantially reducing risk to residents, communities and emergency personnel;
• provide expanded training programs for volunteer firefighters, private landowners and communities in order to increase fire suppression effectiveness and safety;
• develop a Nebraska-based Type 3 incident management team that would serve as a comprehensive resource to augment and help manage large wildfire operations;
• expand the federal excess property programs managed by the Nebraska Forest Service to provide volunteer fire districts with fire suppression equipment; and
• rehabilitate forest lands that have been destroyed by wildfires.

Davis said the bill would address serious deficiencies in the state’s response to wildfires.

“Last year was the worst land wildfire year in Nebraska’s history,” he said. “These megafires are occurring more frequently than in the past. It’s time for Nebraska to take the steps to control these fires as soon as possible.”

A Natural Resources Committee amendment, adopted 36-0, designated the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency as responsible for carrying out the bill’s provisions. Holdrege Sen. Tom Carlson said the bill would save the state money over time.

“If this bill is passed, we’ll have planes in position to respond quickly to fires,” Carlson said. “It will cost the state less money and will save a lot of property for the citizens of Nebraska.”

Omaha Sen. Bob Krist supported the bill, saying that timing is vitally important when it comes to fighting wildfires.

“The right equipment and people need to be in place and overseeing the scene,” he said. “I don’t know how many lives we can risk before putting in place some form of prevention.”

A technical amendment to the committee amendment was adopted 35-0. Senators voted to advance the bill to select file 36-0.