Protecting Firefighters and Promoting Innovation Act

To establish an interagency working group to study the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Firefighters and Promoting Innovation Act 2. Interagency working group on the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting (a) Establishment Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall establish an interagency working group to study the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. (b) Members The working group established under subsection (a) shall include— (1) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Secretary of the Interior, who shall serve as co-chairs of the working group; (2) one representative, selected by the co-chairs, with wildland firefighting experience from each of— (A) a State firefighting agency; (B) a local firefighting agency; and (C) a volunteer firefighting agency; and (3) at least one senior-level representative from each of— (A) the Department of Agriculture; (B) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; (C) the National Guard Bureau; (D) the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and (E) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (c) Functions The working group established under subsection (a) shall carry out functions including the following: (1) In consultation with national fire service organizations, adjutants general from States affected by wildland fires, representatives from relevant industries, and other stakeholders developing standards and best practices for the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting to— (A) assist in fire suppression; (B) provide real-time updates for firefighters; and (C) reduce the risk of firefighter fatalities due to wildland firefighting and to aircraft accidents related to wildland firefighting. (2) Assessing existing Federal unmanned aircraft systems to identify opportunities to use such existing systems to lower the costs of the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. (3) Assessing opportunities to improve interagency coordination with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. (4) With respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting, assessing— (A) the efficacy of current technology; and (B) the potential efficacy of emerging technology. (5) In consultation with legal experts, assessing the implications for the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of any standards, best practices, or recommendations under this section with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems. (d) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of the establishment of the working group under subsection (a), the co-chairs of the working group shall submit to the committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate with relevant jurisdiction and the National Wildfire Coordinating Group a report containing the results of the work of the working group. Such report shall include— (1) the standards and best practices developed under paragraph (1) of subsection (c); (2) a summary of the assessments under paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) of such subsection; and (3) any recommendations with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. (e) Unmanned aircraft system defined In this section, the term unmanned aircraft system 49 U.S.C. 40101

Summary: Protecting Firefighters and Promoting Innovation Act This bill directs the President to establish an interagency working group to study the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. The working group shall: develop standards and best practices for the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting to assist in fire suppression, to provide real-time updates for firefighters, and to reduce the risk of firefighter fatalities due to wildland firefighting and related aircraft accidents; identify opportunities to use existing federal unmanned aircraft systems to lower the costs of the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting; with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting, assess opportunities to improve interagency coordination, the efficacy of current technology, and the potential efficacy of emerging technology; assess the implications for the Fourth Amendment of any standards, best practices, or recommendations under this Act with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems; and report to Congress and to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group on the results of its work.