Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025 (Sec. 205 "Study on modernizing wildfire response technologies.")

Summary

Require the Secretaries to conduct a study on modernizing wildfire response technologies.

Include in the study necessary improvements to radio communications systems and infrastructure during wildland fire or prescribed fire operations, assessing the quality, reliability, failure impacts, and improvement options.

Assess real-time or near-real-time situational awareness tools for operational firefighters, ensuring interoperability and evaluating additional remote sensing and mapping capabilities.

Conduct a cost analysis of commercially available systems versus internally developed systems.

Analyze wildland fire predictive modeling, focusing on data requirements, computing needs, and the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for more accurate predictions.

Require the submission and public availability of the study results within one year of the Act's enactment to congressional committees and the public.

Directs a study to enhance wildfire response technologies, including communications, situational awareness, and predictive modeling.

SEC. 205. Study on modernizing wildfire response technologies. (a) In general.—The Secretaries shall conduct a study on—

(1) necessary improvements to radio communications systems and infrastructure during wildland fire or prescribed fire operations, including— (A) an assessment of the quality and reliability of existing radio infrastructure; (B) for any instance in which existing radio communications infrastructure has failed, an assessment of the impacts on forest management or wildfire response activities; (C) a comparison of existing options to improve on-the-ground communications; and (D) a cost analysis and estimated timeline to install the most feasible option identified under subparagraph (C);

(2) real-time or near-real-time situational awareness tools for operational firefighters, including— (A) standards and requirements for such tools to ensure interoperability between Federal firefighting entities and applicable State, local, Tribal, or other partners; (B) any requirements for additional remote sensing and mapping capabilities to fully leverage such situational awareness tools; and (C) a cost comparison between commercially available systems and internally developed systems; and

(3) wildland fire predictive modeling, including— (A) an analysis of the data required to reduce predictive error for existing or developing models; (B) an analysis of computing needs to more swiftly or accurately model wildland fire using existing or developing models; (C) the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for wildland fire modeling; and (D) existing or developing wildland fire predictive models that could assist with establishing safe conditions for igniting a prescribed fire.

Requires the Secretaries to submit study results to congressional committees and make them publicly available.

(b) Submission and public availability.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to the congressional committees and make publicly available the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).