Section 1503.141 | Wildfire suppression payments; reimbursement for costs incurred in suppression of fires.
There is hereby created in the state treasury the wildfire suppression fund. The fund shall consist of any federal moneys received for the purposes of this section and donations, gifts, bequests, and other moneys received for those purposes. In addition, the chief of the division of forestry annually may request that the director of budget and management transfer, and, if so requested, the director shall transfer, not more than one hundred thousand dollars to the wildfire suppression fund from the state forest fund created in section 1503.05 of the Revised Code. The amount transferred shall consist only of money deposited into the state forest fund from the sale of standing timber taken from state forest lands as set forth in that section.
The chief may use moneys in the wildfire suppression fund to reimburse firefighting agencies and private fire companies for their costs incurred in the suppression of wildfires in counties within fire protection areas established under section 1503.08 of the Revised Code where there is a state forest or national forest, or portion thereof. The chief, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may provide such reimbursement in additional counties. The chief shall provide such reimbursement pursuant to agreements and contracts entered into under section 1503.14 of the Revised Code and in accordance with the following schedule:
(A) For wildfire suppression on private land, an initial seventy-dollar payment to the firefighting agency or private fire company;
(B) For wildfire suppression on land under the administration or care of the department of natural resources or on land that is part of any national forest administered by the United States department of agriculture forest service, an initial one-hundred-dollar payment to the firefighting agency or private fire company;
(C) For any wildfire suppression on land specified in division (A) or (B) of this section lasting more than two hours, an additional payment of thirty-five dollars per hour.
If at any time moneys in the fund exceed two hundred thousand dollars, the chief shall transfer the moneys that exceed that amount to the state forest fund.
As used in this section, "firefighting agency" and "private fire company" have the same meanings as in section 9.60 of the Revised Code.
Available Versions of this Section
- September 29, 2011 – House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly [ View September 29, 2011 Version ]
- September 14, 2016 – Senate Bill 293 - 131st General Assembly [ View September 14, 2016 Version ]
- September 29, 2017 – Amended by House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly [ View September 29, 2017 Version ]
- September 30, 2021 – Amended by House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly [ View September 30, 2021 Version ]