81-827.

Wildfire control; Nebraska Emergency Management Agency; duties; legislative intent; report; contents.

(1) Pursuant to the Wildfire Control Act of 2013, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency shall contract for all costs to place one single-engine air tanker in Nebraska for use in fighting wildfires.

(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency deploy the single-engine air tanker quickly and without delay so as to prevent the rapid spread of wildfires upon ignition.

(3) The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency shall prepare a report on or before December 1 of each year describing (a) the date and time each request to deploy a single-engine air tanker is made to the agency, (b) the date and time a single-engine air tanker was deployed in response to a request for such a tanker, (c) an explanation of the reason for any delay of more than one hour from the time of a request for deployment of a single-engine air tanker and the time of the actual deployment of such a tanker, and (d) an explanation of the reason for the denial of a request to deploy a single-engine air tanker. The report shall be submitted electronically to the Governor and to the Clerk of the Legislature.