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Nevada Division of Forestry details wildfire work and supports AB57 to clarify mutual-aid role
Summary
State Forester Fire Warden Casey Casey reviewed Nevada’s shared stewardship wildfire program, tallies of acres treated and response metrics, and presented AB57, a cleanup measure to clarify the Division of Forestry’s role in intrastate mutual aid for wildfire suppression; firefighters and the Vegas Chamber testified in support.
Casey Casey, State Forester Fire Warden, told the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs that Nevada’s Division of Forestry (NDF) is expanding interagency wildfire mitigation and suppression work and that AB57 is a technical cleanup to clarify the state agency’s role in intrastate mutual aid for wildland firefighting.
Casey described the state’s shared stewardship approach, landscape prioritization and increases in acreage treated under the initiative. “We defined 13 landscapes across the state and ... over the term of the first 5 years, we had 954 treatments in these 13 landscapes, totaling just under 400,000 acres,” Casey said. He added the state brought in about $17,000,000 in federal investments to support treatments in priority areas.
Why it matters: The shared stewardship partnership is intended to coordinate limited federal, state and local resources across jurisdictions to reduce wildfire risk near communities. AB57 would align statutory language and operational responsibilities for initial mutual-aid response during wildfire incidents.
Shared stewardship and outcomes
Casey said Nevada’s approach differs from many other states because Nevada’s agreement includes the Bureau of Land Management and additional federal and state partners, not just the U.S. Forest Service. The program produced an increase in treated acreage across prioritized landscapes; Casey said this year’s treatment totals reached about 190,000 acres, roughly 70,000 acres more than the prior year. He said the Division is shifting toward outcome-based metrics (not just acres treated) and launching interagency orientation for new staff to sustain collaboration as agency workforces turn over.
Wildfire response and the Wildland Fire Protection Program
Casey described NDF’s Wildland Fire Protection Program, a cooperative effort with counties and fire protection districts that helps local agencies with cost sharing and access to state-managed mutual-aid resources. “Our average over the last 20 years in initial attack success rate ... was 95 percent. Last year we were at 100%,” Casey said, adding the most recent year-to-date figure reported to the committee was 96.6 percent.
AB57 hearing and testimony
Casey presented AB57 as a clarifying measure that would make clear NDF’s responsibility for wildfire mutual aid coordination while the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) retains broader mutual-aid responsibility for other emergencies. During the hearing two witnesses offered support: Todd Inglesby with Professional Firefighters Nevada testified that a unified dispatch system improves safety and response; Paul Merack of the Vegas Chamber said the measure modernizes and aligns state operations and helps protect Nevada families and businesses. There was no testimony in opposition or neutral testimony on the record.
Committee outcome
The committee took testimony and closed the hearing on AB57; no committee vote on the bill was recorded at this meeting. Casey said the Division appreciates legislative and gubernatorial support and is continuing interagency coordination on mitigation and response planning.
