Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Fire Innovation Unit Act directs the federal government to establish a public-private partnership program to test and deploy new wildfire technologies. The Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior must create this pilot program within one year of enactment and coordinate with multiple federal agencies—including the Defense Department, FEMA, NASA, and state and local fire departments—to identify priority technology areas such as hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire detection systems, communication tools, autonomous suppression systems, and community resilience measures. Private companies, nonprofits, and universities can apply to participate by demonstrating technologies in real-world wildfire situations, and the bill requires the Secretaries to evaluate technologies based on effectiveness, scalability, and cost-efficiency before expanding successful ones government-wide. Congress will receive detailed progress reports every six months initially, then annually, covering technology costs, procurement challenges, and recommendations for wider adoption across federal land management agencies. The program will operate for seven years before terminating, with no specific funding amount designated in the legislation.
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