HR6094-119

What This Bill Does

The Fire Innovation Unit Act creates a deployment and demonstration pilot program for new and innovative wildfire technologies. Within one year after enactment, the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior must establish the program for wildfire prevention, detection, communication, response, and mitigation technologies. The program terminates seven years after enactment.

The bill defines covered agencies broadly, including federal land management agencies, the Department of Defense, Bureau of Indian Affairs, NOAA, FEMA, NASA, the United States Fire Administration, GSA, state, Tribal, county, and municipal fire or land management agencies operating through the U.S. Fire Administration or agreements with federal agencies, and other wildfire response agencies. Covered entities include private entities, nonprofit organizations, and higher education institutions. The Secretaries must consult the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, identify technology priority areas, connect selected entities with agencies for real-time and on-the-ground testing, define evaluation criteria focused on effectiveness, scalability, and cost-efficiency, and coordinate procurement pathways for successful technologies.

Who Benefits and How

Wildfire technology companies, nonprofits, and universities benefit because the pilot creates a federal route to demonstrate products such as remote sensing, detection, tracking, dispatch communications, operational dashboards, autonomous suppression, grid resilience, home hardening, decision support, and hazardous-fuels tools. Federal land management agencies, fire departments, Tribal natural resource agencies, and wildfire response agencies benefit from tested technologies and procurement support. Communities in wildfire-prone areas benefit if successful technologies improve prevention, detection, response, or mitigation.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Agriculture and Interior Secretaries must stand up and manage the pilot. Covered agencies must coordinate testing, priority-setting, procurement expertise, and deployment. Private companies, nonprofits, and universities seeking participation must submit applications and technology proposals. The Secretaries must report annually to congressional committees on demonstrated technologies, costs, outreach, adoption recommendations, NOAA coordination, and procurement barriers.

Key Provisions

• Creates a wildfire technology deployment and demonstration pilot program within one year.
• Defines covered agencies to include federal land agencies, defense, emergency, weather, space, Tribal, state, local, and other wildfire response agencies.
• Defines covered entities as private entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education.
• Requires consultation with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and covered agency heads.
• Directs identification of wildfire technology priority areas including detection, communications, remote sensing, dashboards, autonomous suppression, grid resilience, home hardening, and decision-support tools.
• Requires evaluation criteria focused on effectiveness, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
• Requires annual reports to congressional committees.
• Terminates the pilot seven years after enactment.