Dr. Ruiz’s Wildfire Prevention Bill Passes the House

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA) announced the House passage of his bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act of 2017.

"Today the House passed my bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act, a huge win for our district! After the 2013 Mountain Fire, I worked with first responders to introduce this bipartisan bill to give local governments the resources they need to recover, rebuild, prevent future fires, and keep communities safe," said Dr. Ruiz. "I am proud to have worked with local partners to deliver this pragmatic solution for our community and the entire state of California."

"Communities across Colorado already know that catastrophic wildfires are natural disasters because many have suffered devastation firsthand. I am pleased that we are finally recognizing that fact in law. Communities deserve and need a swift federal response after catastrophic wildfires," said Representative Jared Polis (D-CO), the lead Democratic co-sponsor.

"This funding is critical to combatting the threat of wildfires in both my own district as well as throughout California. Its inclusion will help areas recover that have already been devastated by the recent catastrophic wildfires. I look forward to the Senate passing this legislation and having it signed into law quickly," said Representative Paul Cook (R-CA), the lead Republican co-sponsor.

The Mountain Fire began on July 15, 2013 near the town of Idyllwild in California's 36^th Congressional district. Burning 16 days, it destroyed four homes, two commercial properties, and forced the evacuation of the entire town of Idyllwild. Costs to fight the fire were estimated at over $25 million dollars.

On July 20, Dr. Ruiz met with local first responders to assess the damage and ensure the community and fire department had the resources they needed to keep residents safe. After the fire, Dr. Ruiz learned that federal support for communities devastated by wildfires ends once the fire is contained. This leaves communities without the resources they need to protect residents from post-fire flooding, or take proactive steps to prevent the next fire. To solve this problem, Dr. Ruiz introduced the Wildfire Prevention Act in October 2013 and has introduced it in each Congress since then, including as H.R.1183 in 2017.

"The IAFC is pleased that the House of Representatives has included provisions to mitigate the effects of wildland fires," said Chief Thomas Jenkins, President and Chairman of the Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. "Landslides and floods remain active threats to communities struggling to recover from the tragedy of wildland fires. This legislation will help these communities by providing needed hazard mitigation assistance."

H.R.1183 allows states to apply for hazard mitigation assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in cases where a Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) is awarded. Currently, states can access FMAGs to help fight the most severe fires and prevent them from becoming a major disaster. Unfortunately, unlike other disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes, once the fire is out, states and local communities do not have access to federal resources to address public safety issues created by the fire, or take proactive steps to prevent a fire in the future. This bill brings wildfire disaster relief in line with other natural disasters.

You can click here to watch Dr. Ruiz discuss H.R.1183 and click here for more information.

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