H.R. 6639 · 112th Congress

To amend the Wildfire Suppressing Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to facilitate inter-agency agreements with the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve to secure Defense Support to Civil Authority (DSCA) missions in the initial airborne response to fighting wildfires.

Stage
In committee
Introduced
2012-12-05
Latest action
2012-12-05 · Introduced in House

Summary

Amends the Wildfire Suppressing Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to provide that provisions permitting an agency to order goods or services from that or another agency only if such goods or services cannot be provided as conveniently or cheaply by a commercial enterprise shall not limit the use of interagency agreements with the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve to procure the services of a unit of the Guard or Reserve to conduct Defense Support to Civil Authority missions utilizing military fixed wing aerial firefighting aircraft, including Modular Airborne Firefighting System (MAFFS) units, in the initial airborne response to fighting wildfires.

Makes such limitation inapplicable only when the Incident Commander determines: (1) that privately contracted fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft are unavailable, (2) it is necessary for military fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft including MAFFS units to perform an initial airborne response, or (3) that military fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft including MAFFS units are needed to supplement privately contracted fixed-wing aerial firefighting aircraft.