Fire service policy board

AN ACT Relating to the creation of the fire service policy board; 1
adding a new section to chapter 43.44 RCW; and creating a new 2
section. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that Washington 5
state's fire service has evolved significantly over the past quarter 6
century. Since the mid-1990s, fire departments across the state have 7
taken on more responsibilities than ever previously envisioned. In 8
addition to fire suppression, Washington's fire service has evolved 9
to provide basic and advanced life support, educate the public on 10
fire prevention, perform technical rescue, respond to hazardous 11
materials incidents, provide all-hazards response to wildland fires, 12
natural disasters, and pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks, 13
and more. During this same time, Washington's population has grown by 14
more than two million residents.15
The legislature further finds that the fire service delivery work 16
group established in 2023 and comprised of stakeholders from the 17
entirety of the fire service in Washington state highlighted that the 18
state fire marshal's office has been significantly deprioritized and 19
underfunded for the last 10 years or longer. Over the last 10 years, 20
just 3.4 percent of the state fire marshal's office policy level 21
H-0838.1
HOUSE BILL 1628
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Bronoske, Griffey, Schmidt, Simmons, Nance, Davis,
and Salahuddin
Read first time 01/27/25. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Tribal Relations.
p. 1 HB 1628
budget requests were funded, while the fire service training 1
account's year-end balance declined $6.2 million over the last 12 2
years due to insufficient funding. These funding shortfalls have 3
resulted in several statutory mandates being unperformed, including 4
fire investigations, which compromise preventative efforts to reduce 5
fire occurrences and fire impacts, ultimately compromising community 6
and environmental safety. Further, inadequate funding for firefighter 7
training creates unequal access to training opportunities, especially 8
in rural and economically vulnerable areas that cannot afford to 9
travel to the training academy. Inaccessible firefighter training 10
risks the safety of historically marginalized communities, their 11
firefighters, and natural environments. 12
The legislature acknowledges the breadth and depth of the 13
services the public expects, and that the fire service delivers, to 14
protect life, property, and the environment. Therefore, the 15
legislature intends to establish the fire service policy board to 16
ensure that the state director of fire protection has the necessary 17
authority and support to guarantee the continued provision of 18
comprehensive fire service training, fire prevention, investigations, 19
and all-hazards response for all of Washington state.20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.44 21
RCW to read as follows: 22
(1) There is created the Washington state fire service policy 23
board to generally advise the state director of fire protection on 24
all matters related to purview of the state fire marshal's office. 25
This includes, but is not limited to, developing recommendations 26
regarding agency budget requests and developing strategies to enhance 27
the safe and effective delivery of fire service training and 28
resources. 29
(2) The fire service policy board consists of:30
(a) The president of the Washington state council of 31
firefighters, or the president's designee; 32
(b) The president of the Washington state firefighters' 33
association, or the president's designee; 34
(c) The executive director of the Washington state fire 35
commissioners association, or the director's designee;36
(d) The executive director of the Washington fire chiefs 37
association, or the director's designee; and 38
p. 2 HB 1628
(e) The president of the Washington state fire marshals 1
association, or the president's designee. 2
(3) The members of the fire service policy board shall designate 3
an administrative chair to facilitate meetings. The board shall 4
convene quarterly, at a minimum, as well as subject to the call of 5
the administrative chair for any purpose that directly relates to the 6
duties set forth in subsection (1) of this section or as is otherwise 7
requested by the state director of fire protection or the 8
administrative chair. 9
(4) Each member of the fire service policy board serves without 10
compensation but may be reimbursed for travel expenses as authorized 11
in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060. 12
(5) The members of the fire service policy board, or individuals 13
acting on their behalf, are immune from civil liability for official 14
acts performed in the course of their duties. 15
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p. 3 HB 1628