This bill adds a new section to chapter 43.43 RCW that requires the minimum monthly salary for deputy state fire marshals to be "competitive" with selected local firefighting agencies, using a salary survey to be undertaken during the collective bargaining process each biennium. It directs the Office of Financial Management (OFM), within existing resources, to conduct the salary survey and evaluations and specifies that compensation comparisons must include base salary, premium pay (defined here as pay received by more than a majority of employees), education pay, and longevity pay. The bill identifies specific local agencies for comparison (Seattle, Vancouver, Spokane, Snohomish Regional, Tacoma, South King County, and King County fire districts), requires OFM to complete an evaluation of those agencies by September 1, 2026 and every four years thereafter, allows OFM to replace one or more listed agencies with a more relevant agency, and requires OFM to report survey results to the governor and the appropriate fiscal and state government committees of the House and Senate by September 1, 2026. The bill also directs the State Fire Service Policy Board (created under RCW 43.44.200) to study benefits and issues of creating a state fire marshal office separate from the Washington State Patrol and to report to the legislature by December 1, 2026; that study directive expires December 31, 2026. Affected entities named include deputy state fire marshals, the State Fire Marshal's Office as housed within the Washington State Patrol, OFM, the State Fire Service Policy Board, and the listed local fire agencies. The text does not show the exact new section citation, does not specify how "competitive" must be translated into specific salary adjustments or enforcement mechanisms, does not identify the specific legislative committees to receive reports, and does not explain how the biennial collective bargaining survey requirement relates to OFM's four-year evaluation schedule or provide an effective date.

If this becomes law, deputy state fire marshals are likely to face upward pressure on their minimum monthly pay because the state must make those salaries "competitive" with a specific set of local fire agencies using a salary comparison that includes base pay, common premium pay, education pay, and longevity pay. The Office of Financial Management will be required to run that comparison and report results by September 1, 2026, and every four years thereafter, but it must do so within existing resources; the actual increases, timing, and who pays for any higher wages will depend on collective bargaining and budget decisions, so the State Patrol and the State Fire Marshal’s Office could see increased personnel costs if bargaining leads to raises. The State Fire Service Policy Board must study whether a standalone state fire marshal office should be created separate from the Washington State Patrol and report by December 1, 2026; that study requirement expires at the end of 2026. Who is most affected: deputy state fire marshals (potentially higher pay and different pay structure), the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Washington State Patrol (possible added costs and future organizational change), OFM (added workload within current budget) and the Legislature and governor (receiving the survey and study reports). Key implementation details are unclear here, including how "competitive" pay is translated into concrete salary adjustments, which legislative committees are the report recipients, and how the biennial bargaining survey relates to OFM’s four-year evaluation cycle.