8. a. Whenever a county fire coordinator determines that fire service resources are needed from other counties due to an emergency incident or a local fire emergency disaster, the county fire coordinator shall notify the regional fire coordinator with responsibility for that county. Upon receipt of a request for out of county fire service resources from the county fire coordinator, the regional fire coordinator shall notify the State fire coordinator as well as the county fire coordinators from the counties adjacent to the county from which the emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster originates.

b. Whenever the State fire coordinator:

(1) makes the determination that fire service resources should be deployed to assist in fire suppression and related activities in another state during a fire emergency in that state; or

(2) makes the determination, in consultation with the regional fire coordinator and county fire coordinator for the county from which an emergency incident or a local fire emergency disaster originates, that the emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster requires the deployment of additional fire service resources,

the State fire coordinator shall be empowered and authorized to issue immediately an order of deployment and require any unit of the fire service to respond, be recalled, standby or deploy any or all of its fire service resources to any location and for any period of the emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster. During any such emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster, the assigned fire service resources shall be under the operational command of the incident commander at the site. In issuing an order of deployment, the State fire coordinator also shall be empowered and authorized to direct that any unit of fire service not respond to an emergency incident or a local fire emergency disaster, but remain on standby.

c. If the State fire coordinator determines that the residents of a municipality or any portion thereof may not have sufficient fire service resources as a result of an order of deployment issued pursuant to this section to the unit of the fire service responsible for the fire protection of that municipality or that portion thereof, the State fire coordinator may issue an order of deployment to an adjacent or nearby unit of the fire service to provide necessary fire protection services, including the provision of fire service resources in the affected municipality or portion thereof. An order of deployment issued pursuant to this section shall be terminated by the State fire coordinator when he determines that the deployed unit of the fire service is once again able to provide adequate fire protection to the residents within its area of responsibility without the provision of fire services resources from other units of the fire service.

d. An order of deployment shall remain in effect during the period of the emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster or until otherwise rescinded by the State fire coordinator, superseded by order of the Governor pursuant to P.L.1942, c.251 (C.App.A:9-33 et seq.), or superseded by the determination that mutual aid should be provided in accordance with the “Emergency Management Assistance Compact,” P.L.2001, c.249 (C. 38A:20-4 et seq.), or the Interstate Civil Defense and Disaster Compact, N.J.S. 38A:20-3 Upon the issuance of an order of the Governor pursuant to P.L.1942, c.251 (C.App.A:9-33 et seq.), the State fire coordinator shall coordinate all fire resources in accordance with the State Emergency Operations Plan. If deemed necessary, and if the emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster continues to exist, the State fire coordinator may reinstate any previously issued order of deployment or any portion of any such order of deployment. The State fire coordinator may modify the terms of an order of deployment issued to a unit of the fire service in order to respond immediately to a current or developing emergency incident or local fire emergency disaster or to provide adequate fire protection to a municipality or any portion thereof impacted by the order of deployment, including, but not limited to, reducing or increasing the number of deployed fire service personnel, emergency equipment or emergency vehicles.

e. The State fire coordinator shall maintain a liaison with the supervisory representative of the forest fire service in deploying fire service resources and coordinating protection activities during wildfire emergency incidents pursuant to R.S.13:9-1 et. seq.

L.2003,c.28,s.8.