Fire Innovation Unit Act

This bill directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish a public-private pilot program for deploying and demonstrating new wildfire technologies. The program focuses on prevention, detection, communication, response, and mitigation.

Sec. 2, Public-private wildfire technology deployment and demonstration partnership: The bill defines terms like 'covered agency' (federal and certain state/tribal/local agencies involved in wildfire response) and 'covered entity' (private entities, nonprofits, and higher education institutions). Within one year of enactment, the Secretaries must create a pilot program for innovative wildfire technologies. The Secretaries must consult with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, identify key technology priority areas (such as hazardous fuels reduction, remote sensing, autonomous suppression, and grid resilience), connect selected entities with agencies for real-world testing, define evaluation criteria for effectiveness and scalability, and coordinate efficient deployment through expanded partnerships and multiagency contracting. Covered entities apply with proposals for specific technologies. Existing partnerships can be submitted for consideration. The Secretaries must publicly invite applications. Annual reports to Congress must describe technologies, costs, outreach, assessments, coordination with NOAA, and procurement barriers. The pilot program ends 7 years after enactment.