Committee advances discussion on shifting wildfire mutual-aid duties to Division of Forestry

The Senate Government Affairs Committee took testimony on Assembly Bill 57, a bill to transfer certain duties related to the Nevada Interstate Mutual Aid System for wildfire suppression from the Nevada Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to the State Forester/Fire Warden in the Division of Forestry (NDF).

Eric Antel, deputy administrator for the Nevada Division of Forestry, told the committee AB57 “transfers certain duties related to the Nevada Interstate Mutual Aid System under NRS 414 to the State Forester Fire Warden under the Division of Forestry and the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources from the Nevada Department of Emergency Management.” He said the bill applies specifically to wildfire suppression and that all-hazards mutual aid would remain under DEM.

Antel described a practical workflow: local dispatch initially deploys closest resources; when a fire exceeds local capacity, mutual-aid notifications broaden. He said that under the bill a dispatch center would notify NDF and that NDF would transfer the incident into an interagency dispatch center to open additional mutual aid more quickly.

Committee members raised fiscal and operational questions. Senator Neal asked how Section 8 would affect reimbursements when both agencies can submit claims. Antel said the mutual-aid model generally expects no cost during the first 24 hours; once an incident extends beyond 24 hours, costs are incurred and the Division of Forestry’s billing system handles wildfire reimbursement. He explained that EMAC-style billing flows through DEM in some cases and that the two agencies currently coordinate to avoid duplicate billing. Brett Thompson, administrator of the Division of Emergency Management, told the committee the change “reflects how we do business right now” and that codifying the roles should reduce confusion.

Members also asked about committee membership language in the bill, which allows up to 19 voting members appointed jointly by the DEM chief and the State Forester/Fire Warden. Antel said he did not have the precise dispute-resolution mechanism available and called on Brett Thompson, who said the agencies currently have a strong working relationship and that the proposal formalizes existing practice.

Nick Schneider, director of government affairs for the Vegas Chamber, testified in support, saying AB57 should “increase efficiencies as well as better align the state resources we have in addressing wildfire emergency response.” No opposition testimony was recorded. The committee closed the hearing without a vote.

Background and technical points from testimony: witnesses said historically many wildfires in Nevada are human-caused, that mutual aid is intended to bring the closest resources to an incident quickly, and that after 24 hours cost-recovery mechanisms engage. The bill is described by sponsors and witnesses as housekeeping to align statutory language with current practice.