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Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025
3/8/2025, 9:06 AM
Summary of Bill HR 345
The bill requires that these agreements adhere to certain guidelines, such as clearly outlining the responsibilities of each party, establishing a fair cost-sharing formula, and ensuring that resources are allocated effectively during firefighting efforts. By standardizing these agreements, the bill aims to streamline the process of coordinating firefighting efforts across different jurisdictions and reduce confusion and disputes over cost-sharing arrangements.
In addition to standardizing reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements, the bill also includes provisions for other purposes related to wildfire prevention and response. These may include measures to improve coordination between federal, state, and local agencies, enhance training and resources for firefighting personnel, and promote the use of best practices in wildfire management. Overall, Bill 119 HR 345 seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of wildfire response efforts by establishing clear guidelines for cost-sharing agreements and promoting collaboration between different jurisdictions. By addressing these issues, the bill aims to better protect communities and natural resources from the devastating impacts of wildfires.
Congressional Summary of HR 345
Fire Department Repayment Act of 2025
This bill requires standard operating procedures for reciprocal fire suppression cost share agreements, which are agreements between federal, state, and local governments to share the costs of suppressing wildfires that occur across multiple jurisdictions.
The Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Homeland Security, and Defense must establish standard operating procedures relating to payment timelines for fire suppression cost share agreements established under the Reciprocal Fire Protection Act. The departments must also review each agreement that is in operation within a year of this bill's enactment and modify an agreement as necessary to comply with the standard operating procedures.
The standard operating procedures must require that (1) each fire suppression cost share agreement be aligned with each of the cooperative fire protection agreements applicable to the entity subject to such fire suppression cost share agreement, and (2) the federal paying entity reimburse a local fire department if the fire department submits an invoice in accordance with cost settlement procedures.
