A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to allow leased planes and helicopters used for responding to wildfires to transport wildland firefighters.
Current Federal Aviation Administration regulations only allow leased aircraft to be used for water drops and other fire suppression, but supporters say it’s an unnecessary regulation and removing it would improve wildland fire response coordination between federal, state and local agencies.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly cosponsored the bill and says as climate change intensifies fire seasons, firefighters need every tool available.
The legislation incorporates recommendations from the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission that recently studied federal wildfire response.
Since 2020, more than 5,000 wildfires in Arizona have burned over 1.6 million acres.