# Summary of H.R. 8656: Modernizing Wildfire Safety and Prevention Act of 2024
This bill implements recommendations from a 2023 Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report by making targeted investments across four main areas. The legislation establishes a Middle Fire Leaders Academy for training wildfire managers, creates a competitive grant program through the Department of Education to fund wildfire-related vocational programs at community colleges and nonprofits, and improves federal wildland firefighter retirement benefits and portability. It also creates a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program to support families of firefighters killed or critically injured in the line of duty. The bill funds a national smoke monitoring and alert system coordinated across federal agencies and requires a comprehensive health risk assessment for workers exposed to wildfire smoke. On the mitigation side, the legislation improves federal grant programs for community wildfire risk reduction, establishes a Joint Office of the Fire Environment Center with 100-plus staff to provide real-time scientific and technical support to fire managers, and creates a Wildfire Digital Data Center for research collaboration. Finally, the bill accelerates federal disaster assistance and recovery payments related to wildfires to 90 days for approved applications. Authorization of appropriations totals approximately $291 million annually from fiscal years 2025 through 2034 for various programs, with funding declining after 2029 for the dynamic risk mapping program.
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