I. The director, with the approval of the commissioner and the governor and council, may enter into an agreement with other states, Canadian provinces, or the federal government, or any combination of them, to exchange assistance in the control of forest fires and to train personnel. Any state employee assigned to fire control duties or training programs outside this state under such an agreement shall be deemed to be working within this state for the purposes of compensation and other employee benefits.
II. In this section, the term "employee" means any appointee, volunteer, or auxiliary member of a fire department, legally included within the firefighting forces of this state.