PREPARE Act

S. 5293 would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to establish protocols for prepositioning aerial firefighting resources ahead of early-season wildfires driven by fine fuels, such as grasses and light vegetation that dry out and become flammable earlier in the year than heavier forest fuels. The bill's full text has not yet been published, so the specific mechanics of these protocols — including any funding, staffing, aircraft, or timing requirements — are not yet known.

Because the two named agencies oversee most federal wildland firefighting (the Forest Service under Agriculture, and agencies such as the BLM and National Park Service under Interior), the bill would primarily affect federal wildfire suppression operations and the aerial assets used in them. It could also have downstream relevance for communities in fire-prone areas that rely on early aerial response, though the bill does not itself describe effects on those communities.

The bill was introduced in the Senate on August 6, 2026, by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and referred for committee consideration, which is the standard next step for a newly introduced Senate bill. It would need to be considered and approved by committee, then pass the full Senate and House, before it could be sent to the President. No further action has been recorded beyond introduction.

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