Establishes Forest Fire Preparedness Commission in DEP.

A4615

ASSEMBLY, No. 4615

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� DAWN FANTASIA

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Forest Fire Preparedness Commission in
DEP.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a Forest Fire Preparedness Commission in
the Department of Environmental Protection.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� There is established,
in the Department of Environmental Protection, the �Forest Fire Preparedness
Commission.�

���� b.� The commission shall
consist of 20 members, as follows:

���� (1) the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, ex officio, or the commissioner�s designee, who shall
serve as chairperson;

���� (2) the State Firewarden
appointed pursuant to R.S.13:9-7, ex officio, or the State Firewarden�s
designee;

���� (3) the three division forest
firewardens appointed pursuant to R.S.13:9-7, ex officio, or the firewardens�
designees;

���� (4) the Director of the
Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs, or the director�s
designee;

���� (5) the New Jersey State
Police Superintendent, ex officio, or the superintendent�s designee;

���� (6) the Director of the
Division of Fish and Wildlife, ex officio, or the director�s designee; and

���� (7) 12 members appointed by
the Commissioner of Environmental Protection no later than 60 days after the
effective date of this act, including:

���� (a) three district forest
firewardens employed by the State Forest Fire Service;

���� (b) one member of the Highlands
Water Protection and Planning Council established pursuant to section 4 of
P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-4);

���� (c) one member of the
Pinelands commission established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1979, c.11
(C.13:18A-4);

���� (d) one member of the Fish and
Game Council;

���� (e) one officer of the New
Jersey Forestry Association;

���� (f) four members of State,
regional, county, or municipal firefighting or other emergency response
organizations; and

���� (g) one member of the public
with knowledge or experience in managing woodlands.

���� c.� The Forest Fire
Preparedness Commission shall hold its initial meeting as soon as practicable,
but no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act.� The commission
shall meet no less than six times per year at such places and times as the
chairperson may designate.� The commission shall hold a minimum of two annual
public hearings. �The chairperson may appoint a secretary who need not be a
member of the commission.� A majority of the membership of the commission shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of commission business.

���� d.� The Forest Fire
Preparedness Commission shall meet with key stakeholders, advocates, and
experts, and shall consult with policy experts in firefighting, forest fire
mitigation techniques, forest stewardship, emergency response, environmental
science, or other applicable fields.

���� e.� The Department of Environmental
Protection shall provide professional, stenographic, and clerical staff to the commission,
as may be necessary for the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission to carry out
its duties.� The commission shall also be entitled to call upon the services of
any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as
may be available to it for its purposes.

���� f.� The duties of the Forest
Fire Preparedness Commission shall be to carry out an audit of the State�s
readiness to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires, and to establish
protocols to ensure that municipal, county, regional, and State emergency
response organizations, including police, firefighting, and medical responders,
communicate regularly and effectively so that they carry out a coordinated and
effective response to any wildfires in the State.� To carry out these duties,
the commission shall:

���� (1) review the existing the
State forest fire plan prepared pursuant to P.L.1955, c.224 (C.32:24-1 et seq.);

���� (2) review the provisions of
the Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact entered into
pursuant to P.L.1955, c.224 (C.32:24-1 et seq.);

���� (3) review any relevant local
or regional forest management plans or fire prevention plans;

���� (4) conduct an audit of the
current readiness of the State to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires,
with particular attention paid to areas that have the potential to threaten
lives and property, and including an assessment of the efficacy of the use of
controlled burns in the State;

���� (5) provide recommendations to
the Governor and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1) regarding changes to State protocols, regulations, and laws that
would increase the State�s ability to prevent, mitigate, and respond to
wildfires;

���� (6) develop a comprehensive
roadmap to be utilized by State, regional, county, and local emergency
responders, including firefighters, police, and medical responders, in order to
coordinate their responses to wildfires; and

���� (7) develop standardized lines
of communication among the State Forest Fire Service and State, regional,
county, and municipal emergency response organizations for the purposes of
wildfire response;

���� (8) review and update, if
necessary, evacuation protocols during wildfire emergencies; and

���� (9) develop a plan by which
firefighting planes and helicopters can ensure access to a constant supply of
suitable water to be used for firefighting purposes.

���� g.� No later than two years
after the effective date of this act, the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission
shall submit a final report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature on the findings, plans,
recommendations, and activities of the commission, including a copy of the
final response roadmap developed pursuant to paragraph (6) of subsection f. of
this section and a summary of the standardized lines of communication developed
pursuant to paragraph (7) of subsection f. of this section.

���� h.� The Forest Fire
Preparedness Commission shall be dissolved 30 days after it produces the report
required pursuant to subsection g. of this section.

���� 2. This act shall take effect
immediately and shall expire 30 days after the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission
produces the report required pursuant to subsection g. of section 1 of this
act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish a �Forest
Fire Preparedness Commission� in the Department of Environmental Protection.

���� The commission would be
composed of 20 members, including the Commissioner of Environmental Protection,
the State Firewarden, and the Superintendent of the State Police, or their
designees, and representatives of local emergency response organizations.� The
commission would be charged with various duties related to ensuring that the
State is prepared to respond in a timely and effective manner to wildfires,
including:

���� (1) performing a comprehensive
audit of the State�s current protocols related to wildfire response;

���� (2) developing a comprehensive
roadmap that may be utilized by State, regional, county, and local emergency
responders, including firefighters, police, and medical responders, in order to
coordinate their responses to wildfires; and

���� (3) developing standardized
lines of communication among the State Forest Fire Service and State, regional,
county, and municipal emergency response organizations for the purposes of
wildfire response.

���� The bill would require the
commission to produce a report that produces its findings, plans,
recommendations, and activities no later than two years after the bill�s
enactment, after which the Forest Fire Preparedness Commission would dissolve.