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Kane County’s new fire warden warns HB 48 will require major property assessments; urges planning for staffing and response
Summary
Alexander Larson, Kane County’s new fire warden, told commissioners federal staffing shortages and House Bill 48 — which requires counties to assess properties in high-risk wildland-urban interface — will create significant workload and funding questions, and recommended county-level planning including potential county fire department or special districts.
Alexander Larson, introduced as Kane County’s new fire warden, briefed the commission on April 22 about county-state wildfire agreements, operational duties and the effect of recent legislation on county workloads.
Larson said the statewide cooperator model means that, under the master agreement, cooperators (counties or fire departments) provide initial-attack response while the state provides catastrophic coverage; he described the funding split in practical terms as the state paying roughly half and local partners covering the remainder for the county’s insurance-like protections. ‘‘What that bill said in a nutshell is that every county is responsible for assessing every property or lot that is in a very — what they’re calling a high risk category,’’ Larson said, describing House Bill 48 and the work it requires.
Larson told commissioners the bill obliges counties to conduct on-the-ground assessments of properties the state maps as high risk, and that the legislation currently carries no dedicated funding for counties to do the work. He noted federal partners (Forest Service, BLM) have reduced seasonal staffing and some engines sat idle last season, which increases reliance on local cooperators. ‘‘There’s an insurance element to it, which makes us very nervous,’’ he said, noting the bill removed explicit language regulating how insurers could use the assessments.
The commission discussed next steps and responsibilities. The chair clarified that the state will set the assessment program and fees but that counties will administer collection and implementation locally. Commissioners raised questions about mapping, tiered fees, and enforcement; Larson estimated that locally there could be roughly 1,000–1,500 properties in the wildland-urban interface requiring assessment (he characterized that as an estimate, not an official count) and urged the county to plan now for staffing and cooperative agreements.
Larson recommended a multi-pronged approach: work with cooperators on initial-attack coverage, pursue training and red-card certifications, consider forming a county fire department or special-service districts, and prepare to implement the assessment process once state guidance and fees are finalized.
What’s next: Commissioners said they will raise the topic at the upcoming Utah Association of Counties legislative conference and follow up as state guidance becomes available.
