119th (2025–2027)
S. 3190
The Fire Innovation Unit Act of 2025 directs the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior to establish a public-private partnership program within one year to test and deploy new wildfire technologies. The program will focus on innovations in areas like hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire detection and tracking, communication systems, autonomous suppression tools, and community resilience measures. Eligible private companies, nonprofits, and universities will work directly with federal agencies—including the Forest Service, land management agencies, FEMA, and state and local fire departments—to conduct real-world demonstrations and testing during actual wildfire response operations. The Secretaries must report to Congress every six months initially, then annually, detailing which technologies are tested, their costs, effectiveness, and scalability potential. The program will run for seven years, after which it terminates.