NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act

To require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct research on public safety communication coordination standards among wildland firefighters and fire management response officials. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act 2. Research on wildland fire communications and information dissemination (a) In general (1) Public safety research Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director, acting through the head of the Public Safety and Communications Research Division and in consultation with the Fire Research Division and technology manufacturers, shall carry out research on the following: (A) Public safety communication coordination standards among Federal, State, Tribal, and local wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and member agencies. (B) Improving and integrating existing communications systems to transmit secure real-time data, alerts, and advisories to and from fire management response officials and wildland firefighters. (2) Field testing and measurement of information dissemination and technology The Public Safety and Communications Research Division, in consultation with the Fire Research Division and member agencies, shall conduct both live and virtual field testing of equipment, software, and other technologies to determine current times of information dissemination and develop standards for the delivery of useful and secure real-time data among member agencies, fire management response officials, and wildland firefighters, based on findings from research under subsection (a). (b) Recommendations (1) In general The Director shall develop and publish recommendations to improve public safety communication coordination standards among wildland first responders and fire management response officials. (2) Transmittal The Director shall transmit the recommendations under paragraph (1) to the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy for member agencies to implement. (3) Reporting requirements (A) In general The Director shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing the recommendations published under paragraph (1). (B) Implementation Not later than 1 year after the date of the publication of the Director’s recommendations under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the extent to which member agencies have implemented such recommendations. (c) Funding From amounts made available to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director shall allocate $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this section. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Director The term Director (2) Member agency The term member agency (3) Wildland firefighter The term wildland firefighter (4) Fire management response officials The term fire management response officials (5) Technology manufacturers The term technology manufacturers September 1, 2023 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act This bill requires research on public safety communication coordination standards related to wildland firefighting. The Public Safety and Communications Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must carry out research on such standards among wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and specified federal agencies responsible for coordinating and mobilizing for wildland fire and other incidents. The research must also focus on improving and integrating existing communications systems to allow for secure, real-time transmission of data, alerts, and advisories to fire management officials and wildland firefighters. In carrying out the research, the division must (1) conduct live and virtual field tests of equipment, software, and other technologies; and (2) consult with NIST's Fire Research Division and communication technology manufacturers. NIST must also publish recommendations to improve public safety communication coordination standards among wildland first responders and fire management officials. In addition, NIST must provide the recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for relevant agencies to implement. Within one year of the publication of NIST's recommendations, the Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the agencies have implemented the recommendations.