SE Kansas News

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have called on Acting Secretary of the Department of Labor, Julie Su, to exempt volunteer fire departments from parts of a proposed rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The new rule would require fire departments to furnish additional reports, training, equipment, and health services.

“Volunteer firefighters have indicated they lack the financial resources and personnel to comply with this rule,” stated the senators. “For many departments, implementation of this rule would render significant shares of their equipment non-compliant. The financial burden associated with replacing that equipment and furnishing the reports, assessments, trainings, and health services required by the rule would be prohibitive for volunteer departments, whose budgets are already strained.”

“It is our intention to insulate our volunteers and the communities they serve from the negative impacts of a regulation that could jeopardize their fire services,” added the senators. “The rule must provide volunteer departments with the flexibility to perform their duties unencumbered by impracticable requirements.”

Joining Sens. Moran and Coons in this appeal were Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

In February of this year, OSHA proposed a rule—the "Emergency Response" standard—to replace the "Fire Brigades" standard covering firefighters in the United States. The senators emphasized that over 85% of America's fire departments are either volunteer or mostly volunteer, with nearly 700,000 out of 1,056,000 firefighters serving as volunteers or paid per call.

Communities across America, particularly in rural areas, rely heavily on these volunteer departments for firefighting services. The senators argued that it is critical to ensure that the "Emergency Response" standard does not impair their ability to serve effectively.

Chad Russell, President of the Kansas Fire Chief’s Association, estimated that implementing this rule could lead to the closure of up to 80% of volunteer departments nationwide due to compliance and liability issues. Steve Hirsch, Chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council, also expressed concerns: “As written, this proposed standard could… compromise the safety and emergency response capabilities of many small communities.”

The senators urged OSHA to include explicit exemptions for volunteer fire departments in the final version of the "Emergency Response" standard.