The committee will come to order. Wildfires are an increasing threat to our country. They have burned more land and put more communities in danger. Last year alone, wildfires ch affected americans from hawaii to the great smoky mountains. This year, it is likely to get worse. As we sit communities in texas just finished fighting the largest wildfire in the history of that state. It burned almost 1. 4 million acres of land, taking lives, damaging houses, devastating di families, leaving property across the Northern Edge of the state in ruin. The last wildfire in maui was absolutely catastrophic. It took the lives of over 100 people and shouter countless communities. It was the deadliest wildfire in our country in over a century. The council of native american advancement and the mayor of the county has submitted testimony regarding the ongoing record with no objection. These are just a few of the examples of a new crisis, one that is putting even more americans at risk. The effects of these fires are only physical danger and property damage, and they also bring a host of health risks to our communities, even in locations hundreds of miles from the fire. Last year, the eastern United States were impacted by wildfire smoke from canada, causing unhealthy air quality kv from detroit to washington, d. C. To austin. Inhaling such smoke causes lung well as cancer. As wildfires grow more common in urban communities, they can burn dangerous synthetic materials. Even after the fire is over, the threat remains. Aftereffect like floods, mudslides, and buried land can threaten Public Safety for years. But it doesnt stop there. Wildfires are also unbelievably asked pensive. They amount to billions of dollars of risk bonds and recovery costs, as well as economic losses every single year. Our state and local governments have to spend already limited resources on these disasters, often much more than they can afford. Businesses lose money. Properties lose value. Infrastructure gets damaged, and industries are changed for good. This is it just a Land Management issue anymore. Its also an emerging crisis of Public Health, and economic security. That is partly do to development. We are building more in the wildland urban interface, a term for the transitional zone between unoccupied land and settled property. And that brings us closer to wildfires. In the past, it couldve contained within uninhabited land. This problem is also acerbated by Climate Change. We have higher temperatures, more droughts, and a host of other ecological factors that make wildfires more dangerous. They are one of the gravest consequences of Global Climate change. In short, this is a serious problem. Clime change is making it worse, and we have to improve our response and mitigation efforts. We have a few key tools for that work. Fema is a Government Agency tasked with disaster relief, and wildfires affecting communities falls under their purview. Fema gives out Key Resources to communities affected by wildfires. But the increasing danger as revealed gaps in this agencys infrastructure. For instance, many of its programs were designed for other hazards like floods and hurricanes an ud do not adequately meet the needs of wildfires. I look forward to hearing from our panel of witnesses on what the money to do in order to properly mitigate this threat. Eyewitnesses also provide valuable insight and mitigation and commission. I want to thank senator romney for championing, who is parked up in this committee and signed up as part of the infrastructure law. As part of a sweeping review of what our government does to respond to wildfires. It was cochaired by the department of agriculture of the department of interior. They released their 150 recommendations this past september. The report outlines ways you can fight tools we use, and adopt a proactive approach so that our communities can be better prepared to face this problem in the future. Our committee has taken some key steps related to the warts recommendation. Last year, the Senate Passed the disasters of a vacation act, which makes it easier for people to get help they need after wild fires, as well as other serious natural disasters. This Congress Help . When the workforce and expand firefighters all across america. This community has also passed the wildland firefighter protection paycheck act by senator cinema to establish a permanent needed pay scale for federal firefighters. We will continue to advance this Bipartisan Legislation to prevent a pay cliff for wildland firefighters at the end of this school year. But there still so much more we need ■to do. Wildfires have become a crisis for the country, and when the colts were old and comprehensive solutions. This threat is and just want to go away, and this committee must play a central role in our federal governments response. So todays discussion with our expertwitnesses representing meaningful step. I would now like to invite senator romney to share some opening remarks. Thank you for holding this hearing. This is a national priority. It is tragic that we continue to have wildfires in the nation. There is been massive loss of life, and this is a problem from hawaii to canada to the southern border across the being affected by wildfires. Its not just a few states in the american west, as we sometimes think. It is a national concern. I particularly want to thank jimmy barnes for being here and being willing to share her expertise with this committee. We have some 800 to 1000 wildfires per year just in utah. When you think about the impact of these fires, going back to 2018, we had one called the dall ridge fire. What was unusual is a dramatically impacted the watershed going into rivers and streams and lakes, killed wildlife and fish, the drinking supply of people in penguins, utah. So the challenge isnot just, we are putting co2 and smoke in the air and threatening structures and life, but we are also affecting our Drinking Water and the life of wildlife. In 2021, the parlay canyon fire forced the evacuation of 8000 residents along the wasatch front for an extended period of time. I went and met with people there and they were angry, asking why better job to prevent these things from happening . I didnt have a lot of answers. We were actually even considering closing down that fire. So back in 2021, editor mark kelly of arizona and i introduced the wildland fire mitigation and commission act. It put together some 50 individuals from federal, state, local, privet sector, public sector, fema. They had put together a report as of september last year with 148 different recommendations, and senator kelly and i are working on leslation to take these recommendations enter them into law. Thats one of the reasons we wanted to he this hearing today, to get your perspective on what things we might want to turn into law. I appreciate very much what you are doing. I recognize we cant keep on going the way we have in the past. This is going to require additional funding. We might need additional fixed wing aircraft, different modern systems, different prescribed burns processes, there are a lot of things that we are would have to do differently than we have in the past. I look forward to the testimony today, particularly from director barnes and the rest of you, and appreciate e come tog focus on this and or an issue. I would now like to invite. Thank you. Some people think about while buyers and think about the episode of tall timber. We do have tall timber as well on the eastern side of our state, and we have great areas of prairie grass on the west. February 26th was just a few weeks ago. We had 152,000 acs were burned just in february 26 in the days that followed that red yesterday, as that has continued with 19 homes destroyed and with jfour injuries over there. A lot of livestock and a lot of fence line to that area. Our neighbors in texas, where one of the fire started and moved into the panhandle of oklahoma, lost over 1 million acres. This is wildfire season in oklahoma. This is where we see wildfires take off quickly. We see vegetation and high winds coming through. We continue to talk to the other issues that we can to try to resolve as many issues as we can. We do have to address areas of mitigation. Removal of have hazardous fuels. The fuel for us in oklahoma is actually the red cedar, which actually just loads when fire a what is a good issue for us, and if they are not actually mitigated, when a wildfire breaks out, it becomes a major issue for us to be able to spread the fire and accelerated. You may not know this, but occasionally, oklahoma has severe weather. Occasionally, when you have severe weather, that has become a longterm issue for us as well. A lot of vertical infrastructure continues to do with how they can manage those issues. We also have fires the breakout. It happens at times the derelict power grid. That is an issue that still got to resolve and will hopefully be part of our conversation today. As well as occasionally a lightning strike, whatever it may be. Maybe just something the cast will be aggressive wire. Among our witnesses today, it. Comes from the federal bureaucracy should not. We do have some general ■u contracting issues, so for instance, in oklahoma, the welfare assistance begins on march 1st. Did i mention that i wildfires came in on the end of february this year . Suggest giving federal assist us to be able to come in for our wildfires that happen the commitment for the contract dates said created additional problems for us. We bless the red tape that we have to work through. We should be able to bond to those. One of the issues that we are working on is on hiring issues. Every bill called direct hire act to make sure that we are able to actually get to some of these smart able to resolve som the hiring issues so youre not going to have those delays just as we get people on the ground. This is a big issue for us nationally. Its a tremendous cost to the taxpayer. But its an even bigger cost ■n those impacted by the fire on the ground. If each of you would please stand and raise your right hands. Do you swear that the testimony you will give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you may be seated. Our first witness she is the u. S. Fire administrator for fema. She oversees efforts to strengthen Emergency Medical Services to prepare for, prevent, mitigate, and respond to all hazards. Prior to that role, she served at the helm of the international Public Safety data in the tooth and worked as a Senior Executive in the International Association of firefighters. Since beginning her career as a paramedic at the city of Memphis Fire Department 37 ye renowned expert of Public Safety and fire service. You are now recognized for your opening remarks. Certainly, thank you for your wellinformed openg statements. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and to discuss e coinuous and evolving wildfire threat. Before we can effectively examine the impact on the nation, we must clarify terminology. Historically, theres been a propensity for decisionmaking to refer to wildland fire in laws intended to reduce the effect on communities. To clarify, wildland is a location made up of vegeti the intermix communities are referred to as the interface, and the areas where Human Technology mixes with vegetative fuels that are both buyer dependent and fire prone. This confusing technology has led to limited resources to wil before it occurs in the environment. Throughout much of the states and globally, wildfires are in intensity, and destruction. This also contributes to the risk you face. It is imperative that the states and local officials adopt and implement and enforce a wild urban interface codes. Fema and the u. S. Fire administration, the u. S. Department of agriculture, the department of interior, were directed by congress, as you know, through the bipartisan infrastructure law to win the commission. The wildfire mitigation and Management Commission is charged with recommending improvement on how federal agencies manage wildfires across the land. The commissions final report of 148 recommendations covering several themes, including significantly more focus on resources towards prefire and postfire planning to break the current cycle of increasingly severe cywildfire risk. Damage and losses. Another theme of the report was modernizing tools to inform ci via line. Fire related data science and technology. A major recommendation for the United StatesFire Department is that we provide expensive training and an expansion of the nations non to build Community Resilience and terror improve coordination in the interface. These recommendations and actions have been particularly valuable to address the maui fire before the fire broke heard. I talked to them 48 hours after. My goal is to get an indication of how the fire moved, likely wind impact, the fuel load that human haber beer and overall firefighter wellbeing. They face opportunities to the fema Mitigation Assessment team and increasing resilience during the billback. To assist with billing resilience, is deploying several wildfire sensors on maui, along with the other fire prone islands in the state. Since technology is incredible part of the effectiveness wants providing realtime and Accurate Information on these fires as early as possible, the resources can be quickly deployed to engage in suppression. However, we need updates on existing firefighter models, as well as additional trading. The increasing incident of wildfires that affect communities means a more municipal Fire Departments or is possible for firefighting in the wildland and the interface. Local firefighters must add suburban conflagration, welfare strategies and tang operational skill set. They cannot safely and effectively respond for the interface fires wiou protective admit. With the federal state and local partners, they are actively participating in preparedness and communition wh individuals in their communities through tors across the nation. its a goal to prepare all structural firefighters and communities bring it in in the suburban communities. We anticipate challenges ahead. Fema and the u. S. Of a looks forward to working with members of this committee, and this committee to build a more nation. I look forward to your questions. I would like to now recognize senator rosen. Thank you, chairman peters. It is my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce nevada zone david fogelson, chief of the division of management and the office of homeland purity. Welcome, chief. The chief has over 30 years of experience in Public Safety, serving in a number of different roles including as a firefighter hymns self, and his deputy fire chief and executive manager for nevada. In our state of nevada, the changing climate, the allowed land owned by the federal government over 80 , by the way make mitigation and recovery all the more challenging. Thats why we need strong leaders with Collaborative Partnerships and encourage innovation in our approach of addressing wildfires. We are so lucky to have someone with as much insight and asked. Leading the response to devastating wildfires. In working with leaders across the country to increase challenges the wildfires are ■m now presenting. We must be the table in these important conversations. Its why im pleased that she fogelson represented date at the Wild Life Commission that was charged with making these important recommendations to congress. And i think you wont find a state in the nation anymore that is immune from wildfires. I am so glad to have you here today testifying before this committee. We thank you for their service to our state, and i think the chairman will recognize you for your opening remarks. Chairman peters, nevada senator rosen, and distinguished members of the community. This is my 30th nevada wildfire season. As a deputy fire chief responsible with the service of Land Management based upon the reciprocal form act 1964, as with all managers, the wildfire continues to be my lifes work. I am before you today as a member of the Wildfire Commission. I believe we were envisioned to believe that the path on wildfire 50 commissioners agreed on 148 recommendations with we want to buy our risk. With the whole community approach. This occurs when we support partnerships to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. We realize we are no longer having a fire season, but a fire year. Hr 77. We dont care who owns the hurricane. During projected landfall, move resources for state and local reese wants his. Operation centers are open with the mindset of protecting the whole community. Our nations response to wildfires and different. A red flag warning did not trigger coordination of care. When we hear the stories of the zephyrs in northern nevada, theres no operation center. No collective movement of resource is. Segregated by property lines and jurisdonew, one of consequence management, as we do by hurricanes. The coordination effort currently being led by Fire Administration, the fact that theyre holding a bistate workshop on this issue in two weeks. Our responsibility includes wildfire brakes. We know floods follow fire. Tying fled to the fire is essential for resource poor communities. Collaboration is key, given wildfire response. Structural firefighters are a primary wildfires once. Federal grant help local governments fight the fire. Administrator chris wells looking to increase. No one wants fraud waste. We want to create the best outcomes in the shortest amount of time. Theres a fine balance between those two needs, a balance point which we continually seek. They need our support to support their vdwhe community. They must be sufficiently resourced and funding for the Response Recovery mitigation. Our amc rtners spend their entire careers dedicated