An Act granting the consent and approval of Congress to the Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact
PL 84-790 (S.3032), enacted 07/25/1956

636 
PUBLIC LAW 790-JULY 25, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
Public Law 790 
CHAPTER 719 
July 25, 1956 
[S. 3032] 
AN ACT 
Middle Atiantic 
Interstate Forest 
Granting the consent and approval of Congress to the Middle Atlantic Interstate 
Forest Fire Protection Compact. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Oon.gress assembled^ That the consent and 
Fi're'Pr"© teclio'ii approval of CongFcss is hereby given to the Middle Atlantic Interstate 
coti^»act. 
Forest Fire Protection Compact, as hereinafter set out. 
Such compact 
reads as follows: 
"MIDDLE ATLANTIC INTERSTATE FOREST FIRE PROTECTION COMPACT 
"ARTICLE I 
"The purpose of this compact is to promote effective prevention and 
control of forest fires in the Middle Atlantic region of the United 
States by the development of integrated forest fire plans, by the main-
tenance of ade(][uate forest fire fighting services by the member states, 
and by providing for mutual aid in fighting forest fires among the 
compacting states of the region and with states which are party to 
other Kegional Forest Fire Protection compacts or agreements. 
"ARTICLE II 
"This compact shall become operative immediately as to those states 
ratifying it whenever any two or more of the states of Delaware, Mary-
land, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia w^hich 
are contiguous have ratified it and Congress has given consent thereto. 
"ARTICLE III 
"In each state, the state forester or officer holding the equivalent 
position who is responsible for forest fire control shall act as compact 
administrator for that state and shall consult with like officials of the 
other member states and shall implement cooperation between such 
states in forest fire prevention and control. 
"The compact administrators of the member states shall organize 
to coordinate the services of the member states and provide adminis-
trative integration in carrying out the purposes of this compact. 
"The compact administrators shall formulate and, in accordance 
with need, from time to time, revise a regional forest fire plan for the 
member states. 
"It shall be the duty of each member state to formulate and put in 
effect a forest fire plan for that state and take such measures as may 
be necessary to integrate such forest fire plan with the regional forest 
fire plan formulated by the compact administrators. 
(( 
ARTICLE IV 
"Whenever the state forest fire control agency of a member state 
requests aid from the state forest fire control agency of any other 
member state in combating, controlling or preventing forest fires, it 
shall be the duty of the state forest fire control agency of that state to 
render all possible aid to the requesting agency which is consonant 
with the maintenance of protection at home. 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 7 9 0 - J U L Y 25, 1956 
637 
(( 
ARTICLE V 
"Whenever the forces of any member state are rendering outside aid 
pursuant to the request of another member state under this compact, 
the employees of such state shall, under the direction of the officers 
of the state to which they are rendering aid, have the same powers 
(except the power of arrest), duties, rights, privileges and imnaunities 
as comparable employees of the state to which they are rendering aid. 
"No member state or its officers or employees rendering outside aid 
pursuant to this compact shall be liable on account of any act or 
omission on the part of such forces while so engaged, or on account 
of the maintenance or use of any equipment or supplies in connection 
therewith. 
"All liability, except as otherwise provided hereinafter, that may 
arise either under the laws of the requesting state or under the laws of 
the aiding state or under the laws of a third state on account of or 
in connection with a request for aid, shall be assumed and borne by 
the requesting state. 
"Any member state rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact 
shall be reimbursed by the member state receiving such aid for any 
loss or damage to, or expense incurred in the operation of any equip-
ment answering a request for aid, and for the cost of all materials, 
transportation, wages, salaries, and maintenance of employees and 
equipment incurred in connection with such request: Provided^ that 
nothing herein contained shall prevent any assisting member state 
from assuming such loss, damage, expense or other cost or from 
loaning such equipment or from donating such services to the receiving 
member state without charge or cost. 
"Each member state shall provide for the payment of compensation 
and death benefits to injured employees and the representatives of 
deceased emi)loyees in case employees sustain injuries or are killed 
while rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact, in the same 
manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were sustained 
within such state. 
"For the purposes of this compact the term employee shall include 
any volunteer or auxiliary legally included within the forest fire 
fighting forces of the aiding state under the laws thereof. 
"The compact administrators shall formulate procedures for claims 
and reimbursement under the provisions of this article, in accordance 
with the laws of the member states. 
'ARTICLE VI 
"Nothing in this compact shall be construed to authorize or permit 
any member state to curtail or diminish its forest fire fighting forces, 
equipment, services or facilities, and it shall be the duty and responsi-
bility of each member state to maintain adequate forest fire fighting 
forces and ecjuipment to meet demands for forest fire protection within 
its borders in the same manner and to the same extent as if this com-
pact were not operative. 
"Nothing in this compact shall be construed to limit or restrict the 
powers of any state ratifying the same to provide for the prevention, 
control and extinguishment of forest fires, or to prohibit the enact-
ment or enforcement of state laws, rules or regulations intended to 
aid in such prevention, control and extinguishment in such state. 
"Nothing in this compact shall be construed to affect any existing 
or future cooperative relationship or arrangement between the United 
States Forest Service and a member state or states. 
638 
PUBLIC LAW 791-JULY 25, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
a ARTICLE VII 
"The compact administrators may request the United States Forest 
Service to act as the primary research and coordinating agency of the 
Middle Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact in co-
operation with the appropriate agencies in each state, and the United 
States Forest Service may accept the initial responsibility in preparing 
and presenting to the compact administrators its recommendations 
with respect to the regional fire plan. 
Representatives of the United 
States 
Forest 
Service may 
attend 
meetings of 
the 
compact 
administrators. 
a ARTICLE VIII 
"The provisions of Articles IV and V of this compact which relate 
to mutual aid in combating, controlling or preventing forest fires 
shall be operative as between any state party to this compact and any 
other state which is party to a regional forest fire protection compact 
in another region: Provided, That the legislature of such other state 
shall have given its assent to such mutual aid provisions of this 
compact. 
"ARTICLE IX 
"This compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each 
state ratifying it until the legislature or the governor of such state 
takes action to withdraw therefrom. 
Such action shall not be effec-
tive until six months after notice thereof has been sent by the chief 
executive of the state desiring to withdraw to the chief executives 
of all states then parties to the compact." 
SEC. 2. The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is expressly 
reserved. 
Approved July 25, 1956. 
July 25, 1956 
[S. 2895] 
Public Law 791 
CHAPTER 720 
AN ACT 
To amend the Acts of February 2H, 11)08, and March 3, 1927, rehiting to the 
payment of the cost and expense of constructing railway-highway yrade elimi-
nation structures in the District of Columbia. 
D. C, railway-
h i g h w a y grade 
elimination struc-
ture. 
Payments. 
Be it enacted by the /Senate and Houne of Repvenentatioe^ of the 
United ^States of America in CongrenH assembled, That the second 
sentence of the second paragraph of section 10 of the Act of February 
28, 1903 (32 Stat. 918), as amended (sec. 7-1214, D. C. Code, 1951 
edition), is amended to read as follows: "The cost and expense of 
any project for opening any such street or highway within the limits 
of such railroad company's right-of-way, including the cost of con-
structing the portion of any viaduct bridge, within said limits, shall 
be borne and paid as follows: 
"(1) The District of Columbia shall apply to the payment of such 
cost and expense all Federal aid highway-railway grade separation 
funds available for use by the District of (^olumbia at the time any 
such project is programed and all such funds which become available 
for use on such projects by the District of (^olumbia during the con-
struction of such project; 
"(2) If such Federal aid highway-railway ^rade separation funds 
are insufficient to pay the cost and expense of any such project, the 
portion not so covered shall be paid one-half by the railroad company, 
its successors and assigns, whose tracks are crossed and one-half by