Today, House Bill 386, helping better serve rural and remote communities by making location and organizational changes to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, passed the House. Sponsored by Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), the bill seeks to better equip our invaluable emergency managers and to promote public safety by moving the Fire Marshal’s Office to the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). House Bill 386 mirrors Senate Bill 245 sponsored by Senator William Burt (R-Alamogordo) who has long worked on this issue.
The State Fire Marshal Division is currently a part of the Public Regulation Commission (PRC). With the PRC based in Santa Fe, fire services in the state’s more rural and remote locations have reported lack of communication, staffing vacancies, various delays for investigations, and funding deficiencies.