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State wildfire official briefs council on CWS MOU, warns adoption of WUI code may be required
Summary
A state forestry representative told the Price City Council that joining the Collective Wildfire Suppression (CWS) program functions like an insurance policy — covering suppression costs on state/federal lands — and that this year’s House Bill 48 ties participation to adopting Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) codes.
Jeremy Jorensen, a state forestry representative, briefed the Price City Council on the Collective Wildfire Suppression (CWS) program and related Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), telling the council the program provides suppression-cost coverage when fires on state or federal lands spread and the state/federal response is invoked.
Jorensen summarized the program’s purpose and mechanics and repeatedly characterized it as protective insurance for local governments: "The state, the federal government will come in and take care of the cost of that fire," he said, explaining that cities that participate and sign the MOU avoid being billed directly for large suppression costs that would otherwise fall on a municipality.
He told the council CWS participation is driven by a risk-assessment mapping (established in 2017) that assigns low/medium/high risk to zones and that Price’s current risk assessment places the whole city in a low-risk category; as a result, Price’s current PC commitment is reported as $0. He warned, however, that the risk assessment can change and that legislative changes could result in future fees.
Importantly, Jorensen referenced a change in state law this year (House Bill 48) that requires adopting Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) codes as a condition for some CWS participation elements. He urged the city to have legal staff review MOU and code implications before committing: "With this change in this year... you have to adopt the WUI code," he said.
The briefing also reviewed practical benefits: if Price’s firefighters are qualified and the chief agrees, apparatus and personnel can deploy on state incidents and the MOU provides a reimbursement structure for engines, mileage and personnel daily rates. Jorensen noted Price firefighters are largely certified to participate and that extra revenues from statewide deployments can offset department costs.
Council members asked about historical participation, mitigation duties, the 6-month notice period in agreements and whether the city must perform mitigation work to remain in the program. Staff recommended legal review before any final action. No formal MOU approval vote is recorded in the transcript excerpt.
Next steps: staff recommended reviewing the MOU language and WUI-code implications with legal counsel and returning a clear, updated packet if the council wants the MOU on a future agenda.
