Fire Weather Development Act of 2025

This bill aims to give communities earlier warnings and better tools to face wildfires. It directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to build a program to improve fire weather forecasts, early detection, and smoke alerts, and to share clear, timely information with state, local, and Tribal emergency officials. The program backs new tools and sensors, including those on satellites, planes, and unmanned aircraft systems (drones), and works with researchers and the weather industry; it can also buy commercial airborne and space-based data to fill gaps. It will test drones for wildfire observations, coordinate airspace use with NASA, and limit buying drones from countries of concern; it authorizes $5 million in 2026 for this work.

The bill pulls agencies together and brings in local voices. A federal committee will coordinate work across NOAA, FEMA, the Forest Service, NASA, Interior, Agriculture, and others, with a strategic plan due within one year and set up within 90 days of enactment. A separate advisory group of experts from universities, broadcasters, emergency managers, state, local, and Tribal leaders, and business will provide feedback every two years and ends in 2029. A new fire weather testbed will let agencies, universities, and the private sector try out models and tools quickly; this is authorized at $4 million per year for 2026–2029. The National Weather Service must review staffing and training needs for Incident Meteorologists within six months and exclude wildfire overtime from normal annual pay caps, so these specialists can be deployed when needed. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will study and improve radio and data standards within 60 days so fire crews can share secure, real-time information across agencies, with recommendations and follow-up reporting to ensure progress .

• Who is affected: people in wildfire‑prone communities; wildland firefighters and Incident Meteorologists; state, local, and Tribal emergency officials; federal agencies; energy utilities and owners of critical infrastructure; researchers and technology makers.
• What changes: better forecasts and smoke alerts; earlier detection; drone testing and safety rules; a testbed to speed new tools; stronger coordination and an outside advisory group; a workforce plan and overtime fix for Incident Meteorologists; improved radio/data standards for fast, secure sharing during fires .
• When: interagency committee set up in 90 days and a plan due in one year; workforce review due in six months; communications research starts in 60 days; NOAA briefs Congress on drone work in 270 days and may start drone pilots within 18 months; funding is authorized for the testbed in 2026–2029; the advisory group ends in 2029 .