Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act
Sponsored By: Representative Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would establish a Federal Wildland Firefighter Health and Wellbeing Program to _protect wildland firefighters' health_ through coordinated research, respirator pilots, OSHA rulemaking, and workers' compensation reforms. It aims to cut inhalation and dermal exposures and expand mental health and medical surveillance for wildland firefighting crews.
Show full summary
- Wildland firefighters: Would get baseline and annual medical exams, enrollment in cancer registries, access to regular pulmonary and cancer screenings, expanded duty time for hygiene and gear decontamination, mental health supports, and field testing of improved respiratory protection.
- Firefighting agencies and program leaders: Would be covered by a new interagency Task Force and federal Program that must staff regional and national offices, run pilots and grants, develop a Health Strategy, and receive funding authorizations including $34.0 million per year for the Program and $15.0 million per year for the Task Force (FY2027–2032).
- Workers' compensation claimants and adjudicators: Would see a dedicated Special Claims Handling Unit inside the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs plus annual public reporting on firefighter claim counts, outcomes, and decision timelines.
*Authorizes roughly $305.5 million in appropriations through FY2027–2032, which would increase federal spending.*
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
9 provisions identified: 9 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Federal firefighter health program
If enacted, the bill would require Interior, with Agriculture, to set up a Federal Wildland Firefighter Health and Wellbeing Program. A Program Director must be named within 90 days. The program would provide baseline and periodic medical exams, cancer and lung screening, hearing protection, mental health support, training, and grant programs for research and equipment. The program would staff regional and national experts and report yearly to Congress on staffing and funding needs.
Special firefighter claims unit
If enacted, the bill would require Labor to create a Special Claims Handling Unit inside OWCP for employees in fire protection activities. Unit staff would get training on firefighting duties, exposures, and related illnesses. OWCP would be required to process claims more timely and coordinate with the Wellbeing Program and NIOSH. OWCP would publish an annual public, searchable report with counts, acceptance rates, diagnoses, time-to-decision metrics, and recommendations.
Paid duty time for decontamination
If enacted, the bill would require that covered wildland firefighters be given paid duty time to shower and clean gear after contaminating shifts. That time would count as hours of work for pay, leave, and other benefits. Duty stations must have decontamination equipment, showers, drying, wastewater handling where feasible, and replacement gear within two years. Remote operations must have mobile decontamination or prompt access when workers return.
Respirator field pilot program
If enacted, the Program Director, with the Task Force and NIOSH, would run a two-year respiratory protection pilot. The pilot must start within one year after the Task Force is set up. It would collect data on fit, comfort, usability, compliance, and field performance. A final report would be due within 180 days after the pilot ends.
Firefighter health advisory panel
If enacted, the bill would create an independent Wildland Firefighter Health Advisory Panel within 90 days to advise the Task Force. The panel would include current and former ground-level firefighters, union and Tribal representatives, state and local fire officials, academics, and other stakeholders. Members would serve six-year terms, receive no pay but may get travel reimbursement, and vacancies should be filled within three months when practicable.
Funding for firefighter health programs
If enacted, the bill would authorize funding to run the new programs and pilots. It would authorize $15 million per year for 2027–2032 for the Task Force and $34 million per year for 2027–2032 for the Wellbeing Program. It would authorize $10 million available through 2032 for the NIOSH office and $1.5 million for the respiratory pilot.
NIOSH firefighter health office
If enacted, the bill would create an Office of Firefighter Health and Safety inside NIOSH led by an Associate Director. The office could award grants, support long-term exposure tracking and biomonitoring, fund PPE research, and develop contamination-control guidance. NIOSH would report to Congress within one year and then every two years. Up to $10 million would be authorized through 2032.
Wildland firefighter task force
If enacted, the bill would require Interior and Agriculture to set up a Wildland Firefighter Health Task Force within 90 days. The Task Force must identify administrative and engineering controls that can be implemented within 180 days. It must publish a Wildland Firefighter Health Strategy within one year and update it at least every three years. The Strategy would cover respirators, skin exposure, mental health, surveillance, and research priorities.
OSHA wildland firefighter standards
If enacted, the bill would require Labor to issue an interim OSHA standard within 180 days after the Pilot Program final report and make it effective within 30 days, subject to equipment availability. Labor would have to propose a final standard within two years and issue a final standard within five years after the pilot report. The standards would require health protection plans, respiratory protection when feasible, engineering and administrative controls, training, exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, decontamination equipment, and technical assistance to employers.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/17/2026
Rep. Gallagher, James [R-CA-1]
CA • R
Sponsored 9/17/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov