This bill adds new sections to chapter 76.04 RCW establishing a rangeland fire protection association (RFPA) pilot project to be run by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for RFPAs operating east of the Cascade crest. The pilot must be operational by the start of calendar year 2026 and conclude at the end of calendar year 2029, and the new sections expire June 30, 2030. The act limits formation and participation in RFPAs to those operating under the pilot and requires DNR to develop and publish recommendations on RFPA formation, management, operation, and training; inspect and review an RFPA’s governance, liability insurance, and personnel training before entering an agreement and at least annually thereafter; and approve any agreements between pilot RFPAs and fire protection service agencies. The bill creates procedural and operational requirements rather than new criminal penalties. It requires RFPAs to identify physical service boundaries, allows occasional, temporary extension of operations onto department protected lands consistent with RCW 76.04.770, and states that RCW 76.04.770 applies to RFPA members. RFPA members must be at least 18 years old, carry liability insurance, use and maintain personal protective equipment meeting published DNR or U.S. Bureau of Land Management standards during suppression activities, and have at least the NWCG “wildland firefighter 2” level of training. DNR must submit an annual pilot report as an appendix to its annual report by December 1 each year addressing safety, training, funding, governance, operations and effectiveness, and coordination with other fire protection agencies. The act also clarifies that it does not require a person or their agent to be an RFPA member to suppress fires on or threatening their property. Important context is missing or inconsistent in the extracted text: Section 1 refers to implementing a five-year pilot while Section 2 sets operation from 2026 to 2029 (four years); the specific external statutes and published standards cited (RCW 52.12.160, RCW 76.04.005, RCW 76.04.770, DNR/BLM PPE standards, NWCG standards) are referenced but not included; the legislative committees to receive the report are not named; minimum liability insurance coverage amounts or required policy terms are not specified; and detailed procedures for DNR approval of agreements and the exact contents of DNR’s published recommendations are not provided.

If enacted, the Department of Natural Resources will run a time-limited pilot east of the Cascade crest starting in 2026, which will create a pathway for nonprofit rangeland fire protection associations (RFPAs) to operate with formal approvals, annual inspections, and required training and protective equipment. Practically, that means the department will need staff time and money to develop guidance, inspect and approve RFPAs, and file annual pilot reports to the legislature, while ranchers and rural nonprofit groups that want to serve as RFPAs will likely face new upfront and ongoing costs for liability insurance, meeting PPE standards, and achieving minimum wildland firefighter training; fire protection agencies will need to negotiate and get department sign-off on any agreements with RFPAs, potentially adding administrative steps but also creating clearer coordination during fires. Individuals will still be allowed to fight fires on their own property without joining an RFPA. Key uncertainties affect how large those costs and obligations will be: the bill references external statutes and published safety and training standards but does not specify insurance amounts, exact approval procedures, or which legislative committees get the reports, and it contains an internal timing mismatch (a stated five-year intent versus a 2026–2029 operating window). The pilot provisions expire June 30, 2030, so any ongoing programs, funding, or obligations beyond that date are not defined in the provided text.