42 U.S.C. § 1856n — Implementation

(a) Exchange under a reciprocal agreement. (1) The Secretary of Agriculture or Interior, after consulting the Secretary of State, may make a reciprocal agreement with a foreign fire organization for mutual aid in providing wildfire-protection resources for land and other property that the Secretary or organization normally protects. (2) The agreement must require each party to waive all claims against every other party for compensation for loss, damage, personal injury, or death resulting from carrying out the agreement. It must allow any party to end the agreement after reasonable notice. It may provide reimbursement for all or part of a party’s costs of providing resources for or for another party. (b) Without an agreement. The Secretary of Agriculture or Interior may provide emergency wildfire-protection resources to a foreign nation when doing so is in the United States’ best interest, and may accept such resources from a foreign fire organization when accepting them is in that interest. (c) Canada. Reimbursement may be provided for costs Canada or a Canadian organization incurs providing resources to the United States under the June 25, 1982 memorandum between the Agriculture Department and Environment Canada, or the May 4, 1982 arrangement between Canada and the United States. (d) Federal employees. (1) Service by a United States employee under an agreement or otherwise under this subchapter is service in the line of duty in that employment. (2) Except as provided in section 1856n–1, service by another person does not make that person a United States employee.