As reported by The NVFC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed Emergency Response Standard has raised concerns regarding its impact on volunteer fire departments.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has been actively advocating for these concerns to be heard by encouraging public comments and alerting Congress to the potential issues.
In response, Congress has taken multiple actions.
On June 4, the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology held a hearing on OSHA’s proposed standard, with testimony provided by a witness from the NVFC.
Another hearing took place on July 24, held by the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, where the NVFC also presented testimony.
In May, a bipartisan effort led by Representatives Golden and Desposito resulted in a letter, co-signed by 40 other members of Congress, urging OSHA to make the proposed standard more adaptable for volunteer firefighters.
This letter included signatures from 29 Republicans and 13 Democrats, highlighting the broad concern across party lines.
Following this, in June, Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Foxx led a letter with 23 other Republican Members of Congress, directed to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
The letter called for an exemption for volunteers from the proposed emergency response standard, emphasizing the potential burden it could place on volunteer fire departments.
Further congressional actions continued into July and August.
In July, the Arkansas Congressional delegation, both from the Senate and House, sent a letter to Acting Secretary Su requesting that OSHA withdraw the proposed rule.
This request was further echoed in August when Senators Moran and Coons led another bipartisan letter, signed by seven Republicans, one Democrat, and one Independent, asking for volunteer exemptions from the Emergency Response Standard.
Additionally, Senator Boozman sponsored an amendment during the mark-up of the Senate’s FY 25 Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Bill.
The amendment encourages OSHA to conduct listening sessions and outreach with stakeholders to better understand the implications of the new requirements on volunteer fire departments.
Despite Congress not having the authority to vote on the final adoption of the OSHA standard, their role in overseeing and funding the agency underscores the importance of their involvement.
The NVFC continues to advocate for awareness of the potential negative impacts on volunteer fire departments, urging stakeholders to share their concerns with Congress.
To support this effort, the NVFC has provided resources, including an advocacy one-pager, to help stakeholders communicate these issues to their Senators, Representatives, or their staff.
Additional resources and information about participating in OSHA’s upcoming November public hearing can be found on the NVFC’s OSHA Standard landing page.
Congress has expressed concerns about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed Emergency Response Standard, which could negatively affect volunteer fire departments.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has played a key role in alerting Congress to these issues.
In response, several congressional hearings have been held, and multiple bipartisan letters have been sent to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, urging for exemptions and revisions to the proposed standard.
The NVFC continues its advocacy efforts, providing resources to assist stakeholders in communicating the potential impacts to Congress.
