Committee splits $7.5 million for emergency response: urban search-and-rescue and wildland fire equipment

The House Appropriations Committee on March 21 discussed and agreed on a split of $7.5 million in one-time funding for emergency response equipment, allocating $4.75 million to urban search-and-rescue and $2.75 million to wildland-fire apparatus and radios.

Committee members discussed vehicle and apparatus costs and agreed the split would allow purchase of the necessary equipment. Staff and members said the wildland-fire allocation would buy apparatus and radios, while the larger share would support urban search-and-rescue capability.

Why it matters: State investments in emergency response equipment support local and regional response capacity for disasters and wildland fires. Committee members said they would schedule the purchases in the one-time appropriations plan and reconcile final line numbers with staff.

Outcome: Committee agreed to a $4.75M allocation to urban search-and-rescue and a $2.75M allocation to wildland fire apparatus, bringing the total to $7.5M. Staff will reflect this split in the updated one-time spreadsheet.