Rep. Mary Dye and Asotin Co. Fire Chief 1 Noel Hardin discuss HB 1498 signed into law May 15, 2023

Minutes after Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1498 into law, Asotin County Fire District 1 Chief Noel Hardin joined Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, to discuss the significance of the measure. The bill allows the state to reimburse local fire districts for their costs of using helicopters and airplanes to attack and douse a wildland fire when it initially breaks out. Often, local fire districts must wait for state mobilization to be authorized, and by the time that happens, a small fire could become a raging inferno. Dye originally introduced the bill in 2016 at the request of Hardin, and reintroduced it in subsequent years since, but it did not pass until this year. Both Dye and Hardin call it a "game changer," as it will save millions of taxpayer dollars, along with lives and property.