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HLS 26RS-1460 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1055
BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE
FIRE PROTECT/FIRE MARSHAL: Establishes the Louisiana Urban Search and Rescue
Program within the office of state fire marshal
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Subpart E of Part III of Chapter 7 of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of
3 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 40:1664.21 and 1664.22, relative to the Louisiana
4 Urban Search and Rescue Program, to provide for the administration of the program;
5 to provide for a director and other personnel; to provide for policies and procedures
6 related to the program; to provide for rulemaking authority; to create the Louisiana
7 Urban Search and Rescue Program fund within the state treasury; to provide for the
8 source of monies in the fund; to provide for treatment of monies in the fund; and to
9 provide for related matters.
10 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
11 Section 1. Subpart E of Part III of Chapter 7 of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised
12 Statutes of 1950, comprised of R.S. 40:1664.21 and 1664.22, is hereby enacted to read as
13 follows:
14 SUBPART E. LOUISIANA URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE PROGRAM
15 §1664.21. Urban search and rescue program
16 A. The Louisiana Urban Search and Rescue Program, referred to in this
17 Subpart as the "program", is hereby established and shall be administered by the
18 office of state fire marshal within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
19 B. The program shall exercise the functions of the state regarding the
20 development, coordination, response, and provision of resources to locate and
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HB NO. 1055
HLS 26RS-1460 ORIGINAL
1 extricate victims entrapped by man-made or natural disasters, as well as conducting
2 other operations within the boundaries of this state or in coordinated response with
3 other states or with the federal government. The program shall function in addition
4 to other disaster and emergency response efforts and shall not supplant those efforts.
5 C.(1) The state fire marshal shall select a director of the program to
6 administer and oversee the program.
7 (2) The state fire marshal shall employ a person, who shall report directly to
8 the director, to assist the director with the administrative requirements associated
9 with the establishment and maintenance of the program.
10 (3) The director may employ other personnel as needed to conduct the
11 operations of the program, including personnel overseeing urban search and rescue
12 operations, planning, and logistics. The office of state fire marshal shall provide
13 technical, clerical, and administrative assistance for the program and any necessary
14 office space and facilities, including training facilities and warehouses for equipment
15 and personnel, and any other services and support necessary for the program to
16 perform its functions.
17 D.(1) The office of state fire marshal shall develop policies and procedures
18 for the program, including but not limited to all of the following aspects of the
19 program:
20 (a) Organizational and decision-making processes to establish lines of
21 authority and control, goals, and objectives required to accomplish the missions of
22 the program response teams.
23 (b) Membership of the response teams.
24 (c) Staffing for administration of the program and for the response teams.
25 (d) Participation and qualification requirements of response team members,
26 including but not limited to training, meeting times, skills and abilities, removals,
27 and resignations.
28 (e) Uniforms and equipment.
29 (f) Discipline and professional conduct of response teams.
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HB NO. 1055
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1 (g) Operations related to response teams, including but not limited to
2 mobilization, deployment, and bases of operation.
3 (h) Any other issues concerning the operation of the program.
4 (2) The office of state fire marshal shall promulgate administrative rules and
5 regulations for the program, including but not limited to all of the following:
6 (a) Procedures for the reimbursement of agencies participating in the
7 program for expenses related to response team deployment.
8 (b) Any other issues concerning the operation of the program.
9 §1664.22. Urban search and rescue program fund
10 A. The Louisiana Urban Search and Rescue Program fund, referred to in this
11 Subpart as the "fund", is hereby created within the state treasury.
12 B. The source of monies deposited into the fund shall be legislative
13 appropriation. Monies in the fund shall be subject to appropriation by the legislature
14 and shall be available exclusively for the administration of the Louisiana Urban
15 Search and Rescue Program.
16 C. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the fund at the end of the
17 fiscal year shall remain in the fund. These monies shall be invested by the state
18 treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned
19 on the investment of these monies shall be credited to the fund after compliance with
20 the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana,
21 relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 1055 Original 2026 Regular Session Zeringue
Abstract: Establishes the La. Urban Search and Rescue Program within the office of state
fire marshal.
Proposed law creates the La. Urban Search and Rescue Program in the office of state fire
marshal within the Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections, which shall exercise the functions
of the state for the development, coordination, response, and provision of resources to locate
and extricate victims entrapped by man-made or natural disasters.
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HB NO. 1055
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Proposed law provides for the selection and employment of a director of the program, an
assistant to the director, and other personnel who may be needed to implement the program.
Proposed law directs the office of state fire marshal to develop policies and procedures
related to the staffing, organization, and logistics of the program.
Proposed law directs the office of state fire marshal to promulgate rules and regulations for
reimbursement of agencies participating in the program for expenses related to response
team deployment and any other issues concerning the program's operation.
Proposed law creates the La. Urban Search and Rescue Program Fund within the state
treasury, and provides that the source of monies deposited into the fund shall be legislative
appropriation.
Proposed law provides for the treatment of unexpended or unencumbered monies in the fund
and interest earned on investment of fund monies.
(Adds R.S. 40:1664.21 and 1664.22)
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