summary
Introduced
01/08/2025
01/08/2025
In Committee
04/29/2025
04/29/2025
Crossed Over
04/28/2025
04/28/2025
Passed
Dead
05/07/2025
05/07/2025
Introduced Session
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
The bill requires the division of fire prevention and control (division) in the department of public safety (department) to establish public-private agreements with one or more private partners, by which agreements the state may allocate responsibility or risk to one or more private partners to develop and operate wildfire detection components. The bill also creates the front line innovation and response efficiency cash fund (FIRE fund) in the state treasury. The money in the FIRE fund is annually appropriated to the department to be expended by the division for the purposes of the bill. In current law, money in the unused state-owned real property fund is continuously appropriated to the department of personnel for several purposes, including paying for public-private agreements and associated costs. Of the money that is appropriated for this purpose, the bill requires the general assembly to transfer the following amounts to the FIRE fund: ! For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, up to $1,000,000; ! For the 2026-27 state fiscal year, $2,000,000; and ! For the 2027-28 state fiscal year, $3,000,000. The department is required to include information concerning the division's activities under the bill in the department's annual report to the legislative subject matter committees.
AI Summary
This bill aims to enhance wildfire detection and prevention in Colorado by establishing a comprehensive technological approach using artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled camera systems. The legislation requires the division of fire prevention and control to create public-private partnerships to develop and operate "detection components" - interconnected camera stations with advanced AI capabilities that can detect, locate, and monitor wildfires from up to ten miles away. The bill creates a Fire Technology Cash Fund to support these efforts, with the state planning to transfer up to $1 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year, increasing to $2 million in 2026-27 and $3 million in 2027-28. The detection components must provide live, high-resolution feeds, support real-time fire alerts, enable situational awareness for evacuation and response, and include privacy protections like pixelation to blur human-made structures. The motivation behind the bill stems from Colorado's recent experience with increasingly destructive wildfires, with the legislation seeking to leverage cutting-edge technology to improve early fire detection, enhance firefighter safety, and protect communities. The division is also required to report annually on these technological initiatives to legislative committees, ensuring transparency and ongoing assessment of the program's effectiveness.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure
Sponsors (9)
Kyle Brown (D)*,
Lindsey Daugherty (D)*,
Cleave Simpson (R)*,
Ron Weinberg (R)*,
Mark Baisley (R),
Lisa Cutter (D),
Cathy Kipp (D),
Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D),
Katie Wallace (D),
Last Action
House Committee on Appropriations Lay Over Unamended - Amendment(s) Failed (on 05/13/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
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