(a) The commissioner may enter into necessary protection contracts.
(b) The commissioner may hire emergency firefighting personnel, and shall establish classifications and rates of pay for the emergency firefighting personnel consistent with the compensation paid by other firefighting agencies. The commissioner may adjust the classifications and rates based on findings of the federal Bureau of Land Management for Alaska. The commissioner may assign emergency firefighting personnel to conduct fire suppression, hazard reduction, fire prevention, habitat restoration or improvement, and other related activities in emergency and nonemergency circumstances. The assignment of emergency firefighting personnel to nonemergency activities may not be used to replace permanent or seasonal state employees.