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Lawmakers and fire managers press for funding, staff and land transfer options
Summary
Committee members and state officials discussed the department’s recent state funding, supplemental bills, personnel shortfalls and a proposal by legislators to seek federal land and equipment transfers to expand state control of forest management.
Arizona legislators and fire officials used a July 1 field hearing to press for more sustained funding, additional firefighting positions and consideration of federal land transfers to enable broader state management of forest restoration and fire preparedness. Representative Ben Marshall, chairing the hearing, said he has been in conversations with congressional delegations about returning federal lands and federal funding to state control and described discussions with U.S. House members to secure aircraft and other assets. Marshall told chiefs and representatives he has asked for 14 million acres in transfers as an initial request, saying federal funds would follow returned lands. John Truett of the Department of Fire and Forestry Management told the panel the department received $30 million in new fire suppression funds this year plus an $11.2 million supplemental intended to cover past federal invoices dating back to 2021. He said the 30 million will primarily fund personnel and prepositioning, while any large capital purchases would require further legislative authorization. “The 11.2 has come through … it will be used to pay federal invoices from previous fires,” Truett told the committee. Committee members pressed for clarity on how money could be swept or reallocated. Dante (fiscal staff) and department leadership discussed no‑lapsing provisions tied to parts of the appropriation; the department said legislative authorization would be required to repurpose funds. Multiple speakers from rural fire districts and statewide firefighter groups urged permanent staffing increases for local districts and warned that small districts are already tapped out. Fire chiefs and union representatives described structural funding limits—property‑tax caps, dependence on EMS transport revenue through certificates of necessity, and small tax bases—that leave districts unable to recruit and retain personnel or replace aging apparatus. Legislators on the panel said they will pursue targeted appropriations next session, including proposals discussed in the hearing for a multiyear Payson fuel‑mitigation program and funding for White Mountain and Navajo area mitigation. No formal committee motions were made at the hearing; members agreed to follow up with the department and local chiefs on staffing and funding details.
