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119-s-5439119th CongressWALLET

A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to improve safety standards for wildland firefighters.

Sponsored By: Senator Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

Introduced

Summary

Establishes national smoke exposure safety standards to protect wildland firefighters and supporting staff. This bill would require federal leaders to define exposure limits, pick appropriate respiratory protective gear, and push for commercially available respirators where smoke risks are high.

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  • Wildland firefighters and supporting staff: Would require appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment in settings where smoke exceeds the covered permissible exposure limits and would apply to both federal employees and contract personnel. It also directs a strategy to make suitable respirators commercially available within 1 year.
  • Federal agencies and coordination: Would make the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service, coordinate with the Secretary of the Interior, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, NIOSH, and OSHA to determine PPE and to convene a task force to develop an interim smoke exposure standard and pursue a wildfire-specific exposure limit.
  • Equipment and standards: Would incorporate by reference the most recent NFPA 1984 respirator standard into the safety requirements and direct updates to PPE and related protections as needed.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New smoke rules for wildland firefighters

This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service, to set new smoke safety standards for wildland firefighters and support staff. It would define "covered permissible exposure limits" as the smoke limits set by NIOSH and OSHA. Within 1 year, the Secretary would work with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the Interior Secretary, and other agencies to develop a plan. The plan would aim to make suitable respiratory masks commercially available when smoke exceeds those limits. The bill would also require a task force, with NIOSH and OSHA, to develop interim exposure standards and review respiratory PPE and other safety rules. It would allow incorporating the most recent NFPA 1984 respirator standard by reference, subject to the NIOSH smoke limit. The bill would include contract personnel as wildland firefighters for these protections.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

CA • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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