House approves Valadao bill to bolster firefighting technology

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bipartisan bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) to increase investment in alternative firefighting systems by requiring the evaluation and update of deployment protocols for Containerized Aerial Fire Fighting Systems (CAFFS).

“Today, my colleagues and I took an important step towards combating California’s devastating wildfires that have destroyed homes, businesses, and livelihoods across our state,” Rep. Valadao said. “I want to thank Chairman Bruce Westerman [of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee] and all my colleagues for their support on this critical issue.”

If enacted, the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023, H.R. 3389, would require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to evaluate the use of CAFFS, according to the text of the bill, which the U.S. Senate received on Sept. 13 and referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

Prior to the chamber’s vote, Rep. Valadao spoke on the House floor to urge passage of the bill and explained that CAFFS are airdrop-capable disposable containers for water or fire retardant, which can be dropped from much higher altitudes and with less visibility.

“Current aerial firefighting operations depend on single-mission aircraft, but CAFFs can be used by any standard cargo plane,” the congressman said. “The use of CAFFS provides more coverage for firefighters on the ground and allows teams to quickly respond to prevent smaller fires from becoming uncontrollable.”

Rep. Valadao, who introduced H.R. 3389 on May 16 alongside six original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), John Curtis (R-UT), and Jim Costa (D-CA), said in a statement that the bill “will ensure our firefighters have every tool available to them to combat these deadly fires and protect our communities.”

Specifically, H.R. 3389 would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior to evaluate CAFFS to mitigate and suppress wildfires; update deployment protocols for the appropriate use of CAFFS based on the results of that evaluation; and require a report to be submitted to the appropriate committees within 90 days after the date of the enactment of the bill, the text says.