AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL AND THE MISSISSIPPI STATE RATING BUREAU TO ADOPT AND USE INSURANCE SERVICES OFFICE (ISO) STANDARDS FOR FIRE TRUCKS; TO PROHIBIT THE MANDATORY RETIREMENT OF CERTAIN FIRE TRUCKS BASED SOLELY ON THEIR CALENDAR AGE; TO CREATE THE FIRE GRANT FUND AS SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES WITH MEASURES AIMED AT IMPROVING FIRE SAFETY; TO REQUIRE ALL FUNDS FORMERLY CREDITED TO THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK FUND, THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK MATCHING ASSISTANCE FUND, THE SUPPLEMENTARY RURAL FIRE TRUCK FUND AND THE ANNUAL FIRE FUND TO PAID INTO THE FIRE GRANT FUND, AND TO REQUIRE THE TRANSFER OF BALANCES IN THOSE FUNDS TO THE FIRE GRANT FUND; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO ADMINISTER THE FUND; TO ESTABLISH THE FIRE GRANT ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING NONBINDING ADVICE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FIRE GRANT FUND AND THE AUTHORIZING AND AWARDING GRANTS FROM THE FIRE GRANT FUND; TO AUTHORIZE GRANTS TO BE AWARDED FOR FIRE TRUCKS, EQUIPMENT AND COUNTYWIDE FIRE PROGRAMS; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES A SUPPLEMENTARY RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE ANNUAL FIRE FUND; TO AMEND SECTION 83-34-4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PRECEDING PROVISIONS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 83-1-191, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE MITIGATION PROGRAM, FOR PURPOSES OF AMENDMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 83-1-201, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE MISSISSIPPI WINDSTORM MITIGATION FUND, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 83-34-1, 83-34-3 AND 83-34-5 THROUGH 83-34-37, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH IS THE CHAPTER OF LAW GOVERNING THE MISSISSIPPI WINDSTORM UNDERWRITING ASSOCIATION, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1392 would overhaul several Mississippi fire-safety and insurance-related programs, with its central feature being the creation of a new FIRE Grant Fund administered by the Department of Finance and Administration. The fund would replace the existing rural fire truck and annual fire funding streams by transferring their balances and future deposits into the new fund. It would support grants for fire trucks, equipment, and countywide fire programs, with eligibility tied to a Fire Rating Plan and a points-based system that rewards prior unsuccessful applications and local planning efforts. The bill also creates a FIRE Grant Advisory Committee to provide nonbinding advice on grant administration and award decisions.
The bill further directs the State Fire Marshal and the Mississippi State Rating Bureau to adopt and use ISO standards for fire trucks, while prohibiting mandatory retirement of a fire truck solely because of its age if it has current maintenance records and passes required safety and performance testing. In addition, it amends Mississippi insurance law in ways that interact with the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association and related mitigation programs, including bringing forward provisions on hurricane damage mitigation, windstorm mitigation funding, and underwriting association operations. Those provisions largely preserve existing windstorm mitigation and reinsurance structures while referencing the new fire-related funding changes in the broader insurance code.
HB 1392 would repeal Sections 17-23-1, 17-23-11, and 17-23-21 of the Mississippi Code, eliminating the existing Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, and Annual Fire Fund, and replacing them with the FIRE Grant Fund. It would also amend Section 83-34-4 to conform the insurance diversion language to the new fund structure, while leaving the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association framework and hurricane mitigation provisions largely intact. The bill would affect counties, municipalities, volunteer fire departments, fire districts, and state agencies involved in fire apparatus standards, grant administration, and insurance-related funding streams.
The available voting history shows strong support in the House, where HB 1392 passed 120-0 on February 5, 2026. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote suggests broad agreement with the bill’s fire-safety funding and fire truck flexibility provisions. The overall tone of the bill is pro-local fire service and pro-mitigation, with an emphasis on helping communities maintain fire ratings and modernize equipment without forcing retirement based only on age.
The main policy issue appears to be the shift from older, separate rural fire funding programs into a single FIRE Grant Fund, which could raise questions about how funds are allocated, who benefits, and whether the new points system is fair to applicants with different levels of prior access to grants. Another potential point of contention is the bill’s prohibition on age-only retirement standards for fire trucks, which may be welcomed by local departments but could concern regulators or insurers focused on uniform equipment standards. The bill also touches the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association and related insurance diversions, but the text does not indicate active controversy over those provisions in the available record.