S 306119th CongressIntroduced

Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025

Introduced: Jan 29, 2025

Environment & ClimateInfrastructure

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025 would create a centralized, coordinated Fire Weather Services Program within NOAA (the Administration) to advance wildfire and smoke forecasting, monitoring, and decision support. The bill sets out a broad agenda to improve fire weather predictions, data systems, and service delivery through research, new technologies (including uncrewed systems), enhanced data management, and stronger partnerships with federal, state, tribal, and local entities. It also creates an Incident Meteorologist Service to bolster on-site, impact-based decision support during significant fire events, and it includes provisions related to emergency pay for wildland firefighting personnel and a plan to expand staffing without waivers in coming years. The act emphasizes openness of data, a public-facing digital platform, and regular congressional reporting on progress, budgets, and workforce needs. In short, the bill aims to make wildfire and smoke forecasts more accurate and timely, ensure information is accessible and actionable for responders and communities (including remote/rural areas), and knit together weather data, modeling, and decision support across multiple federal agencies and partners.

Key Points

1Establishment and scope of the Fire Weather Services Program:
2- A coordinated program within NOAA to improve wildfire risk forecasting, fire weather, wildfire smoke, and related hazards.
3- Functions include improving risk communications, forecasts, watches/warnings, and the delivery of impact-based decision support services to emergency personnel, public safety officials, and others.
4- Priorities include developing a fire weather-enabled Earth system model with data assimilation, incorporating AI/ML, and ensuring rapid deployment of rain-gauge networks for post-fire hazards.
5Fire Weather Testbed and uncrewed systems:
6- Creation of a Fire Weather Testbed for collaboration among federal/state/local governments, academia, labs, the private sector, and end-users to evaluate and accelerate adoption of new capabilities.
7- A program to pilot uncrewed systems (e.g., drones) for data collection, observing fire weather and environment conditions, and feeding data into models; pilots must follow airspace and safety rules, with coordination across agencies (including FAA).
8- Additional pilot projects on satellite fire detection, use of commercial data, and evaluating user needs.
9Data management and technology modernization:
10- Open, fully redistributable data and metadata produced by NOAA where legally permissible; plan to maximize data use and interoperability.
11- Standardization and collaboration to improve data access, digital formats, and the use of digital object identifiers for datasets and tools.
12- Emphasis on interoperability across the federal government and coordination with other agencies (e.g., DoD, FAA) to upgrade and standardize systems while preserving unit-level upgrades.
13- Development of a centralized digital platform that integrates geospatial data, decision-support tools, and real-time fire weather forecasts for public use.
14- Investment in high-performance computing resources to support research, testing, and operations.
15Surveys, assessments, and reporting:
16- Annual post-fire-weather-season surveys to identify data gaps, improve dissemination, assess forecast accuracy, and refine performance measures.
17- Joint assessments with FAA and DoD to maximize functionality and reliability of automated weather observation systems (including observations relevant to wildfire smoke and air quality).
18- Regular Congress-facing briefs and a formal report to Congress within two years detailing findings, plans, and required appropriations to implement the plan.
19Incident Meteorologist Service:
20- Establishment of an Incident Meteorologist Service within the National Weather Service, incorporating existing incident meteorologists and new appointees.
21- On-site, impact-based decision support for emergencies (wildfires and related events), plus support for seasonal planning and pre-fire mitigation.
22- Deployment rules, staffing/resource requirements, and support for the well-being of incident meteorologists and staff.
23Emergency response pay and workforce planning:
24- A special provision allowing premium pay to be disregarded in calculating certain pay caps for covered employees during 2025, subject to specific limitations (e.g., cap at Executive Schedule level II, retirement-pay considerations).
25- A plan (due by March 30, 2026) to hire/train additional covered employees to meet needs in future years without waivers, with a budget plan to Congress.
26- Health, safety, and well-being policies for covered employees.
27Congressional submissions and authorization:
28- Requires detailed plans, assessments, and annual budget submissions to Congress related to the Fire Weather Services Program and workforce needs.
29- Authorization of appropriations to fund the program and related activities.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- NOAA staff and leadership implementing the Fire Weather Services Program.- Emergency responders, wildfire managers, and public safety officials who rely on fire weather data and decision support.- Residents of remote, isolated, and rural communities who need accessible fire weather information and services.Secondary group/area affected:- Federal land management agencies (e.g., those coordinating with NOAA on fire weather and suppression planning).- Incident meteorologists, air quality forecasters, and other weather/forecasting professionals.- Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, states, academic institutions, and private sector data providers involved in fire weather research and operations.Additional impacts:- Improved data availability and interoperability could accelerate research and practical improvements in forecasting and decision support.- Pilot programs for uncrewed systems may advance data collection for fire events but will require coordination with FAA and other airspace regulators.- Public data platforms and improved risk communications could affect planning and behavior in communities at risk from wildfires and smoke.- Potential funding and workforce implications for Departments involved (Commerce, Agriculture, Interior) as they scale up personnel and capabilities.Fire weather: Weather conditions that influence the start, spread, and intensity of wildfires, including wind, humidity, temperature, and atmospheric composition.Fire environment: The broader set of conditions that influence fire behavior and smoke production, including vegetation, soil moisture, topography, and post-fire hazards.Impact-based decision support services: Scientific and interpretive guidance designed to help decision-makers (emergency responders, public officials, etc.) act to protect lives and property during fire events.Earth system model: A comprehensive computer model that simulates the interconnected components of the Earth system (atmosphere, oceans, land, ice, biosphere) to improve forecasts.Parity: Ensuring equal access to tools, data, and services across communities, including remote and rural areas.Uncrewed systems: Drones or similar autonomous or remotely piloted vehicles used for data collection and observation.

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