Fire Weather Development Act of 2025

Key Points

• NOAA would create a new program to improve wildfire forecasting, detection, and communication with local emergency managers. The goal is to reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage by giving communities better and earlier warnings about fire behavior and smoke.
• The bill calls for using advanced technologies like satellites and drones to monitor ground conditions and detect fires early, but generally bans purchasing drones made in foreign countries of concern (like China). NOAA could also buy commercial airborne and space-based data from private companies.
• Pay rules would change for Incident Meteorologists who work at wildfire sites, ensuring their overtime pay for emergency fire suppression work is not capped by the usual federal salary limits. NOAA must also assess workforce needs and training challenges for these specialists.
• The bill creates an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildfires (within 90 days) and a National Advisory Committee on Wildfires to bring together federal agencies, academics, and private sector experts. These groups will develop a strategic plan and avoid duplication of efforts across agencies.
• A fire weather testbed would be established to evaluate new technologies, models, and fire weather products before they are put into use. The bill authorizes $4 million per year from 2026 through 2029 for this testbed, plus $5 million for drone-related activities in fiscal year 2026.