Title 9

The State Forester shall create the Rural and Community Fire Protection Advisory Committee to represent certified volunteer fire departments and to support the development and improvement of rural and community fire protection throughout the state. (Acts 1978, No. 515, p. 569, §1…

(a) The Rural and Community Fire Protection Advisory Committee shall be composed of 13 members, all of whom must be volunteer firefighters, to be appointed as follows: (1) One member of the Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs, who is an active chief of a volunteer fire department,…

The advisory committee shall make recommendations to the State Forester regarding the development and improvement of rural and community fire protection throughout this state. The advisory committee shall also make recommendations to the Alabama Forestry Commission regarding rura…

The committee shall meet semiannually, with the members of the committee setting the date. The State Forester shall have the authority to call special meetings. A majority of members shall constitute a quorum. (Acts 1978, No. 515, p. 569, §4.)

Members of the committee shall not be compensated for their services, but each shall be entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses in the same manner and amount that state employees are reimbursed. Such expenses shall be paid out of Forestry Commission funds. (Acts 1978, No. 5…

The State Forester is further authorized to establish a committee and call meetings of such committee to advise him on general forestry matters in Alabama. It shall consist of not more than 15 members. Section 9-3-15 shall apply in its entirety to this committee. (Acts 1978, No. …

(a) The term volunteer fire department shall apply to and be used to define an organized group of area residents who meet the following requirements for personnel, training, and equipment: (1) The group shall be organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of Alabama as…

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that this section provides assistance to organized volunteer fire departments and organized search, air, and rescue squads including South Alabama Air Rescue, Incorporated, and other nonprofit organizations which provide search, air, or res…

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following words have the following meanings: (1) DEPARTMENT. A volunteer fire department certified by the State Forestry Commission and meeting the requirements of Section 9-3-17. (2) SQUAD. A volunteer rescue squad located in Alabama whi…

(a) As used in this section, the term “fire control or fire rescue equipment” includes, but is not limited to, a motor vehicle, fire fighting tools, protective gear, breathing equipment, and other vehicles, supplies, and tools used in fire fighting or fire rescue. (b) Any person,…

The commission shall, upon its first meeting, which shall be called by the Governor within 60 days after appointment of the membership, elect from its membership a chairman and vice-chairman who shall serve for a period of one year. The vice-chairman shall act in the place of the…

(a) A local fire district may not assess any type of fees or dues upon forest land that is treated as timber land for ad valorem tax purposes. (b) The authority and responsibility for the control and coordination of fire prevention, fire protection, and fire fighting services on …

(a) The Alabama Forestry Commission shall establish and administer the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement grant program to aid volunteer fire departments in providing rural and community fire protection in this state. (b) There is established the Rura…

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the State Forester may sell and is responsible for the sale of any vehicles, equipment, and other personal property owned by the commission. These items shall be sold by the State Forester or his or her designee either at public auctio…

If any member of the commission fails to attend three successive meetings of the commission without good and valid cause or excuse or without a leave of absence from the chairman, his office shall be declared vacant by the commission, and the chairman shall notify the Governor of…

The functions and duties of the commission shall be as follows: (1) To protect, conserve and increase the timber and forest resources of this state and to administer all laws relating to timber and forestry and the protection, conservation and increase of such resources; (2) To m…

It shall be the duty of the Alabama Forestry Commission to appoint with the advice and consent of the Governor a State Forester who shall serve as the executive secretary and administrative officer for the commission. The individual appointed as the State Forester must have earne…

The State Forester may declare, by order, a wildfire alert whenever, in his or her opinion, existing weather or other conditions produce a heightened level of danger from fire or smoke. The wildfire alert may be issued for the entirety of the state or for designated portions of t…

The commission shall also appoint, with the advice and consent of the Governor, an Assistant State Forester, who shall hold at least a bachelor degree in forestry with considerable forestry experience. The Assistant State Forester shall serve as the chief assistant to the State F…

(a) The commission shall have its main offices in the City of Montgomery. The commission may establish other offices and facilities throughout the state as the commission deems advisable or necessary. (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no construction or maintenance…

No member of the commission, during the tenure of his office or within two years thereafter, shall be eligible for appointment as State Forester or for any employment under the commission. (Acts 1969, No. 764, p. 1354, §9.)

The commission shall have the power to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations pertaining to all phases of forestry within this state, which rules and regulations when adopted shall have the force and effect of law. All rules and regulations of the Division of Forestry of the …