Congresswoman Scanlon Introduces Bill to Support Federal Firefighters Burdened by Dangerous Staffing Reductions

Press Release

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today introduced the Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act to ensure federal firefighters are not forced to operate with staffing levels below national standards as they provide the essential service of keeping our communities safe and protecting our nation's most valuable assets. Joining Scanlon in introducing this bill are Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-53), and Congressman John Garamendi (CA-03).

It is imperative for all federal agencies to maintain adequate, well-trained response forces capable of dealing with emergency incidents, but budget mitigation efforts by the Department of Defense (DOD) are routinely reducing staffing levels below the four firefighter minimum as dictated by national standards. These staffing reductions hamper the effectiveness of emergency responses and increase the risk to first responders. Losses to federal assets such as military aircraft or naval vessels also impact national security.

The Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act will require fire protection staffing levels for all responses on military installations to rigorously comply with staffing benchmarks detailed in National Consensus Standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association. The bill sets the minimum staffing requirement for any firefighting vehicle responding to a structural building emergency at a military installation to four firefighters per vehicle and the minimum requirement for responses to an aircraft or airfield incident at a military installation to three firefighters per vehicle.

"One of the very first meetings I took when elected to Congress was about the challenges facing the firefighters in our region," said Rep. Scanlon. "Federal firefighters have some of the toughest and most strenuous jobs in our communities, but budget mitigation efforts have forced them to operate with substandard crew sizes -- making their life-saving and fire suppression efforts all the more demanding and dangerous. Falling below well-established national staffing standards is unacceptable. I'm introducing the Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act because we cannot allow budget considerations to jeopardize the lives of both our brave first responders and potential victims."

"Short-staffing of firefighters at U.S. military bases and shipyards is a recipe for disaster. Smaller crews mean fewer trained firefighters responding to fires and rigid schedules that lead to exhaustion, low morale, and burnout," said Rep. Norcross. "I'm cosponsoring this bill to protect our nation's most sensitive facilities from fires and to ensure our firefighters, many of whom have undergone the national security clearance process, have the support they need to do their jobs."

"Fire protection is essential and our service members and military families deserve facilities that are safe. I'm proud to cosponsor the Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act and to work with Congresswoman Scanlon on this important legislation," said Rep. Jacobs.

Source