SENATE DOCKET, NO. 562        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1439

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to the Bureau of Forest Fire Control..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 1D of Chapter 132A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended in line 4, at the end of the sentence, by inserting the following sentence:- Additionally, the Bureau of Forest Fire Control and the Massachusetts Wildfire Crew shall be designated as “All Hazard” and “All Risk” for deployment in Massachusetts as well as throughout the United States, as well as internationally through the Northeast Fire Protection Commission or the United States Forest Service.

SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a special commission is hereby established to investigate and study the transfer of the bureau of forest fire control under the department of conservation and recreation to the department of fire services. Said commission shall also consider the transfer of all personnel, equipment and all other related assets of said bureau to the department of fire services and all other relative matters that may come before said commission. Said commission shall report the findings to both the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means no later than October 25, 2009. Said commission shall consist of: 2 members of the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, 2 members of both the House of Representatives and Senate, 2 District Fire Warden, 2 District Fire Patrolman, 2 members of the Department of Fire Services, and 1 member of the Massachusetts Forest Fire Council.

Said commission shall meet for a period of time to effectuate the purpose of this act.