Modernizing Wildfire Safety: Faster Disaster Aid and Smoke Alerts.
This Act modernizes wildfire management, focusing on public safety and firefighter support. It establishes a national real-time smoke monitoring and alert system to protect public health. Crucially, it mandates that disaster relief payments and loans for wildfire damage must be processed within 90 days, significantly speeding up post-disaster recovery.
Key points
National Smoke Alert System: Provides consistent, real-time air quality information and county-level alerts regarding wildfire smoke exposure for public health protection.
Faster Disaster Payments: Key federal disaster aid (FEMA, SBA, forest restoration) must be disbursed within 90 days of approval or the end of the fire event.
Improved Firefighter Benefits: Federal wildland firefighters gain retirement flexibility (up to a 2-year break without losing benefits) and families of injured or deceased personnel receive dedicated casualty assistance.
Comprehensive Disaster Coverage: Initial wildfire disaster declarations now automatically cover subsequent related events like landslides and floods for up to three years.
Expired
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