Establishment of fire weather services program

(a) In general The Under Secretary shall establish and maintain a coordinated fire weather services program among the offices of the Administration in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Program functions The functions of the program established under subsection (a), consistent with the priorities described in section 101 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511), shall be— (1) to support readiness, responsiveness, understanding, and resilience of the United States to wildfires, fire weather, wildfire smoke, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and associated hazards and impacts in built and natural environments; (2) to collaboratively develop and disseminate accurate, precise, effective, and timely risk communications, forecasts, watches, and warnings relating to wildfires, fire weather, wildfire smoke, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and other associated conditions, hazards, and impacts, as applicable, with Federal land management agencies; (3) to partner with and support the public, Federal and State government entities, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and academic and local partners through the development of capabilities, impact-based decision support services, and overall service delivery and utility related to fire weather; (4) to conduct and support research and development of new and innovative models, technologies, techniques, products, systems, processes, and procedures to predict and improve understanding of wildfires, fire weather, related air quality, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and the fire environment; (5) to develop processes to transition research into operational use and inform additional areas of research to deliver fire weather products, services, and decision support tools to operational users and platforms; (6) to develop communications networks and strategies to ensure parity of fire forecasts, warning services, and information about current fire location, for remote, isolated, and rural communities, including communities where the public acts as the first responder to wildfire; and (7) to develop, in coordination with Federal land management agencies, impact-based decision support services that operationalize and integrate the functions described in paragraphs (1) through (6) in order to provide comprehensive impact-based decision support services that encompass the fire environment. (c) Program priorities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall prioritize— (1) development of a fire weather-enabled Earth system model and data assimilation systems that— (A) are capable of prediction and forecasting across relevant spatial and temporal scales; (B) include variables associated with fire weather and the fire environment; (C) improve understanding of the connections between fire weather and modes of climate variability; (D) incorporate emerging techniques such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing; and (E) use a rapidly deployable network of rain gauges for post-fire hazard monitoring; (2) advancement of existing and new observational capabilities, including satellite-, airborne-, air-, and ground-based systems and technologies, and social networking and other public information-gathering applications that— (A) identify— (i) high-risk pre-ignition conditions; (ii) conditions that influence fire behavior and spread including those conditions that suppress active fire events; and (iii) fire weather threat levels; (B) support real-time notification and monitoring of ignitions; (C) support observations and data collection of fire weather and fire environment variables, including vegetation state and profiles of wildfire smoke, winds, temperature, and humidity, for development of the model and systems under paragraph (1); and (D) support forecasts and research that mitigate the impacts of wildfires on human life, health, and the economy; (3) development and implementation of advanced and user-oriented impact-based decision tools, science, and technologies that— (A) ensure real-time and retrospective data, products, and services are findable, accessible, interoperable, usable, inform further research, and are analysis- and decision-ready; (B) provide targeted information throughout the fire lifecycle including pre-ignition, detection, forecasting, post-fire, and monitoring phases; and (C) support early assessment of post-fire hazards, such as air quality, debris flows, mudslides, and flooding; and (4) ensuring the parity of access to and support from the tools, science, and technologies developed under this subsection for remote, isolated, and rural communities. (d) Program activities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary may— (1) conduct relevant physical and social science research activities in support of the functions described in subsection (b) and the priorities described in subsection (c); (2) conduct relevant activities, in coordination with Federal land management agencies and Federal science agencies, to assess fuel characteristics, including moisture, loading, and other parameters used to determine fire risk levels and outlooks; (3) support and conduct research that assesses impacts to marine, riverine, watershed, and other relevant ecosystems, which may include forest and rangeland ecosystems, resulting from activities associated with mitigation of and response to wildfires; (4) support and conduct attribution science research relating to wildfires, fire weather, fire risk, wildfire smoke, and associated conditions, risks, and impacts; (5) develop wildfire smoke and air quality forecasts, forecast guidance, and prescribed burn weather forecasts, and conduct research on the impact of such forecasts on response behavior that minimizes health-related impacts from wildfire smoke exposure; (6) use, in coordination with Federal land management agencies, wildland fuels information and fire resource intelligence to inform fire environment impact-based decision support services and products for safety; (7) work with Federal agencies to provide data, tools, and services to support the implementation of mitigation measures by such agencies; (8) provide training and support to ensure effective media utilization of impact-based decision support services and products to the public regarding actions needing to be taken; (9) provide comprehensive training to ensure staff of the program established under subsection (a) is properly equipped to deliver the impact-based decision support services and products described in paragraphs (1) through (6); and (10) acquire, through contracted purchase, private sector-produced observational data to fill identified gaps, as needed. (e) Parity for remote, isolated, and rural communities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall ensure parity of coverage and programmatic activity for remote, isolated, and rural communities, including communities where the public acts as the first responder to wildfire. (f) Collaboration The Under Secretary shall, as the Under Secretary considers appropriate, collaborate with partners in the weather and climate enterprises, academic institutions, States, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, local partners, and Federal agencies in the development and implementation of the program established under subsection (a). (g) Agreements In carrying out the activities under this Act and the amendments made by this Act, the Under Secretary may provide support to non-Federal entities by making funds and resources available through— (1) competitive grants; (2) contracts under the mobility program under subchapter VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program); (3) cooperative agreements; and (4) co-location agreements as described in section 502 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 851 note prec.). (h) Program administration plan (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan that details how the program established under subsection (a) will be administered and governed within the Administration. (2) Elements The plan required by paragraph (1) should include a description of— (A) how the functions described in subsection (b), the priorities described in subsection (c), and the activities described in subsection (d) will be distributed among the line offices of the Administration; and (B) the mechanisms in place to ensure seamless coordination among those offices.

(a) In general The Under Secretary shall establish and maintain a coordinated fire weather services program among the offices of the Administration in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Program functions The functions of the program established under subsection (a), consistent with the priorities described in section 101 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8511), shall be— (1) to support readiness, responsiveness, understanding, and resilience of the United States to wildfires, fire weather, wildfire smoke, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and associated hazards and impacts in built and natural environments; (2) to collaboratively develop and disseminate accurate, precise, effective, and timely risk communications, forecasts, watches, and warnings relating to wildfires, fire weather, wildfire smoke, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and other associated conditions, hazards, and impacts, as applicable, with Federal land management agencies; (3) to partner with and support the public, Federal and State government entities, Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and academic and local partners through the development of capabilities, impact-based decision support services, and overall service delivery and utility related to fire weather; (4) to conduct and support research and development of new and innovative models, technologies, techniques, products, systems, processes, and procedures to predict and improve understanding of wildfires, fire weather, related air quality, post-fire flooding and debris flows, and the fire environment; (5) to develop processes to transition research into operational use and inform additional areas of research to deliver fire weather products, services, and decision support tools to operational users and platforms; (6) to develop communications networks and strategies to ensure parity of fire forecasts, warning services, and information about current fire location, for remote, isolated, and rural communities, including communities where the public acts as the first responder to wildfire; and (7) to develop, in coordination with Federal land management agencies, impact-based decision support services that operationalize and integrate the functions described in paragraphs (1) through (6) in order to provide comprehensive impact-based decision support services that encompass the fire environment. (c) Program priorities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall prioritize— (1) development of a fire weather-enabled Earth system model and data assimilation systems that— (A) are capable of prediction and forecasting across relevant spatial and temporal scales; (B) include variables associated with fire weather and the fire environment; (C) improve understanding of the connections between fire weather and modes of climate variability; (D) incorporate emerging techniques such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing; and (E) use a rapidly deployable network of rain gauges for post-fire hazard monitoring; (2) advancement of existing and new observational capabilities, including satellite-, airborne-, air-, and ground-based systems and technologies, and social networking and other public information-gathering applications that— (A) identify— (i) high-risk pre-ignition conditions; (ii) conditions that influence fire behavior and spread including those conditions that suppress active fire events; and (iii) fire weather threat levels; (B) support real-time notification and monitoring of ignitions; (C) support observations and data collection of fire weather and fire environment variables, including vegetation state and profiles of wildfire smoke, winds, temperature, and humidity, for development of the model and systems under paragraph (1); and (D) support forecasts and research that mitigate the impacts of wildfires on human life, health, and the economy; (3) development and implementation of advanced and user-oriented impact-based decision tools, science, and technologies that— (A) ensure real-time and retrospective data, products, and services are findable, accessible, interoperable, usable, inform further research, and are analysis- and decision-ready; (B) provide targeted information throughout the fire lifecycle including pre-ignition, detection, forecasting, post-fire, and monitoring phases; and (C) support early assessment of post-fire hazards, such as air quality, debris flows, mudslides, and flooding; and (4) ensuring the parity of access to and support from the tools, science, and technologies developed under this subsection for remote, isolated, and rural communities. (d) Program activities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary may— (1) conduct relevant physical and social science research activities in support of the functions described in subsection (b) and the priorities described in subsection (c); (2) conduct relevant activities, in coordination with Federal land management agencies and Federal science agencies, to assess fuel characteristics, including moisture, loading, and other parameters used to determine fire risk levels and outlooks; (3) support and conduct research that assesses impacts to marine, riverine, watershed, and other relevant ecosystems, which may include forest and rangeland ecosystems, resulting from activities associated with mitigation of and response to wildfires; (4) support and conduct attribution science research relating to wildfires, fire weather, fire risk, wildfire smoke, and associated conditions, risks, and impacts; (5) develop wildfire smoke and air quality forecasts, forecast guidance, and prescribed burn weather forecasts, and conduct research on the impact of such forecasts on response behavior that minimizes health-related impacts from wildfire smoke exposure; (6) use, in coordination with Federal land management agencies, wildland fuels information and fire resource intelligence to inform fire environment impact-based decision support services and products for safety; (7) work with Federal agencies to provide data, tools, and services to support the implementation of mitigation measures by such agencies; (8) provide training and support to ensure effective media utilization of impact-based decision support services and products to the public regarding actions needing to be taken; (9) provide comprehensive training to ensure staff of the program established under subsection (a) is properly equipped to deliver the impact-based decision support services and products described in paragraphs (1) through (6); and (10) acquire, through contracted purchase, private sector-produced observational data to fill identified gaps, as needed. (e) Parity for remote, isolated, and rural communities In developing and implementing the program established under subsection (a), the Under Secretary shall ensure parity of coverage and programmatic activity for remote, isolated, and rural communities, including communities where the public acts as the first responder to wildfire. (f) Collaboration The Under Secretary shall, as the Under Secretary considers appropriate, collaborate with partners in the weather and climate enterprises, academic institutions, States, Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, local partners, and Federal agencies in the development and implementation of the program established under subsection (a). (g) Agreements In carrying out the activities under this Act and the amendments made by this Act, the Under Secretary may provide support to non-Federal entities by making funds and resources available through— (1) competitive grants; (2) contracts under the mobility program under subchapter VI of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program); (3) cooperative agreements; and (4) co-location agreements as described in section 502 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 851 note prec.). (h) Program administration plan (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan that details how the program established under subsection (a) will be administered and governed within the Administration. (2) Elements The plan required by paragraph (1) should include a description of— (A) how the functions described in subsection (b), the priorities described in subsection (c), and the activities described in subsection (d) will be distributed among the line offices of the Administration; and (B) the mechanisms in place to ensure seamless coordination among those offices.