Escaped slash burns—Obligations

(1) All personnel and equipment required by the burning permit issued for a slash burn may be required by the department, at the permittee's expense, for suppression of a fire resulting from the slash burn until the fire is declared out by the department. In no case may the permittee provide less than one suitable bulldozer and five persons capable of taking suppression action. In addition, if a slash burn becomes an uncontrolled fire the department may recover from the landowner the actual costs incurred in suppressing the fire. The amount collected from the landowner shall be limited to and calculated at the rate of one dollar per acre for the landowner's total forestlands protected by the department, up to a maximum charge of fifty thousand dollars per escaped slash burn. (2) The landowner contingency forest fire suppression account shall be used to pay and the permittee shall not be responsible for fire suppression expenditures greater than fifty thousand dollars or the total amount calculated for forestlands owned as determined in subsection (1) of this section for each escaped slash burn. (3) All expenses incurred in suppressing a fire resulting from a slash burn in which negligence was involved shall be the obligation of the landowner.