LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is on the cusp of joining forces with Colorado, Wyoming and the Dakotas to help fight rural wildfires.
A bill sent to Governor Dave Heineman would allow Nebraska to join the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact, an agreement that lets member states share their firefighters and equipment in an emergency. Kansas is considering a similar proposal.
The bill was introduced two years after massive wildfires swept through central and western Nebraska. Its sponsor, Senator Al Davis of Hyannis, says pooling the states' resources could lead to faster response times in the most remote and hard-to-reach areas of Nebraska.
Nebraska State Forester Scott Josiah says the state still has the potential to see large wildfires in years when its grasslands and forests are dry.
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