{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-149.310","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 149.310","heading":"Southeastern Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact.","body":"The Governor, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is hereby authorized to\nexecute a compact in substantially the following form, with any one or more of the States\nof Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,\nVirginia and West Virginia, and the General Assembly hereby signifies in advance its\napproval and ratification of such compact:\nSOUTHEASTERN INTERSTATE FOREST FIRE PROTECTION COMPACT\nARTICLE I.\nThe purpose of this compact is to promote effective prevention and control of forest\nfires in the Southeastern region of the United States by the development of integrated\nforest fire plans, by the maintenance of adequate forest fire fighting services by t he\nmember states, by providing for mutual aid in fighting forest fires among the compacting\nstates of the region and with states which are party to other Regional Forest Fire\nProtection compacts or agreements, and for more adequate forest protection.\nARTICLE II.\nThis compact shall become operative immediately as to those states ratifying it\nwhenever any two or more of the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,\nMississippi, North Carolina, South Ca rolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia,\nwhich are contiguous have ratified it and Congress has given consent thereto. Any state\nnot mentioned in this article which is contiguous with any member state may become a\nparty to this compact, subject to approval by the legislature of each of the member states.\nARTICLE III.\nIn each state, the state forester or officer holding the equivalent position who is\nresponsible for forest fire control shall act as c ompact administrator for that state and\nshall consult with like officials of the other member states and shall implement\ncooperation between such states in forest fire prevention and control.\nThe compact administrators of the member states shall coordinat e the services of\nthe member states and provide administrative integration in carrying out the purposes of\nthis compact.\nThere shall be established an advisory committee of legislators, forestry\ncommission representatives, and forestry or forest products industries representatives\nwhich shall meet from time to time with the compact administrators. Each member state\nshall name one member of the Senate and one member of the House of Representatives\nwho shall be designated by that state's commission on inters tate cooperation, or if said\ncommission cannot constitutionally designate the said members, they shall be designated\nin accordance with laws of that state; and the Governor of each member state shall\nappoint two representatives, one of whom shall be associ ated with forestry or forest\nproducts industries to comprise the membership of the advisory committee. Action shall\nbe taken by a majority of the compacting states, and each state shall be entitled to one\nvote.\nThe compact administrators shall formulate a nd, in accordance with need, from\ntime to time, revise a regional forest fire plan for the member states.\nIt shall be the duty of each member state to formulate and put in effect a forest fire\nplan for that state and take such measures as may be necessary to integrate such forest fire\nplan with the regional forest fire plan formulated by the compact administrators.\nARTICLE IV.\nWhenever the state forest fire control agency of a member state requests aid fr om\nthe state forest fire control agency of any other member state in combating, controlling or\npreventing forest fires, it shall be the duty of the state forest fire control agency of that\nstate to render all possible aid to the requesting agency which is consonant with the\nmaintenance of protection at home.\nARTICLE V.\nWhenever the forces of any member states a re rendering outside aid pursuant to the\nrequest of another member state under this compact, the employees of such state shall,\nunder the direction of the officers of the state to which they are rendering aid, have the\nsame powers (except the power of arre st), duties, rights, privileges and immunities as\ncomparable employees of the state to which they are rendering aid.\nNo member state or its officers or employees rendering outside aid pursuant to this\ncompact shall be liable on account of any act or omiss ion on the part of such forces while\nso engaged, or on account of the maintenance, or use of any equipment or supplies in\nconnection therewith: provided, that nothing herein shall be construed as relieving any\nperson from liability for his own negligent ac t or omission, or as imposing liability for\nsuch negligent act or omission upon any state.\nAll liability, except as otherwise provided hereinafter, that may arise either under\nthe laws of the requesting state or under the laws of the aiding state or under the laws of a\nthird state on account of or in connection with a request for aid, shall be assumed and\nborne by the requesting state.\nAny member state rendering outside aid pursuant to this compact shall be\nreimbursed by the member state receiving such ai d for any loss or damage to, or expense\nincurred in the operation of any equipment answering a request for aid, and for the cost of\nall materials, transportation, wages, salaries, and subsistence of employees and\nmaintenance of equipment incurred in connec tion with such request: provided, that\nnothing herein contained shall prevent any assisting member state from assuming such\nloss, damage, expense or other cost or from loaning such equipment or from donating\nsuch service to the receiving member state without charge or cost.\nEach member state shall provide for the payment of compensation and death\nbenefits to injured employees and the representatives of deceased employees in case\nemployees sustain injuries or are killed while rendering outside aid pursuant to this\ncompact, in the same manner and on the same terms as if the injury or death were\nsustained within such state.\nFor the purposes of this compact the term employee shall include any volunteer or\nauxiliary legally included within the forest firefighting forces of the aiding state under the\nlaws thereof.\nThe compact administrators shall formulate procedures for claims and\nreimbursement under the provisions of this article, in accordance with the laws of the\nmember states.\nARTICLE VI.\nRatification of this compact shall not be construed to affect any existing statute so\nas to authorize or permit curtailment or diminution of the forest firefighting forces,\nequipment, services or facilities of any member state.\nNothing in this compact shall be construed to limit or restrict the powers of any\nstate ratifying the same to provide for the prevention, control and extinguishment of\nforest fires, or to prohibit the enactment or enforcement of state laws, rules or  regulations\nintended to aid in such prevention, control and extinguishment in such state.\nNothing in this compact shall be construed to affect any existing or future\ncooperative relationship or arrangement between any federal agency and a member state\nor states.\nARTICLE VII.\nThe compact administrators may request the United States Forest Service to act as a\nresearch and coordinating agency of the Southeastern Interstate Forest Fire Protection\nCompact in cooperation with the appropriate agencies in each state, and the United States\nForest Service may accept responsibility for preparing and presenting to the compact\nadministrators its recommendations with respect to the regional fire plan. Representatives\nof any federal agency engaged in forest fire prevention and control may attend meetings\nof the compact administrators.\nARTICLE VIII.\nThe provisions of Articles IV and V of this compact which relate to mutual aid in\ncombating, controlling or preventing forest fires shall be operative as between any state\nparty to this compact and any other state which is party to a regional forest fire protection\ncompact in another region: provided, that the legislature of such  other state shall have\ngiven its assent to such mutual aid provisions of this compact.\nARTICLE IX.\nThis compact shall continue in force and remain binding on each state ratifying it\nuntil the legislature or the Governor of such state, as the law of such state shall provide,\ntakes action to withdraw therefrom. Such action shall not be effective until six months\nafter notice thereof has been sent by the chief executive of the state desiring to withdraw\nto the chief executives of all states then parties to the compact.","path":["KRS Chapter 149"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=1874","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:42Z","sha256":"7d33c18772d7912e9be0cd7465fdbe77ee3c34818085173517ea3a8abfe918ec","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-149.305","next":"us-ky/krs-149.315"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}