Remarks by Senator Susan Collins (R-Me) to the International Association of Fire Fighters Conference

REMARKS BY SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME) TO THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS CONFERENCE

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(Applause.)

SEN. COLLINS: Thank you.

Thank you so much, Harold. It's great to be here again. I very much appreciated your kind introduction and your stalwart support. It really makes -- made a big difference.

Let me begin -- let me begin by asking all of us here to keep Vice President Biden's mother in our thoughts and in our prayers. I understand that she's stable and comfortable after her fall last night, and that the vice president will be able to join you later today. And I know you're really looking forward to that.

I've worked very closely with the vice president when we served in the Senate as co-chairmen of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. And I know that America's professional firefighters have no greater friend in the White House than Joe Biden. (Applause.)

Now, speaking of friends, I'd like to extend a special greeting to the professional firefighters from the great state of Maine who are here today.

Jon Martel and so many others have been so invaluable sources of information, insight and support.

Mike Mullane -- I'm sure he must be here somewhere as well -- the vice president from Boston. (Applause.) Mike's a great ally and an outstanding leader.

You know, last fall, when I was running for reelection, we actually loaded up my campaign bus with firefighters and did a first responders tour of southern Maine, and Mike came up for that. It was my favorite day of the whole campaign.

I'm also delighted to tell you that I've recently hired a former professional firefighter, Bobby Reynolds, as a key member of my staff. (Applause.)

The fundamental obligation of government is to protect its people. It really boils down to that. Senator Lieberman and I have worked together to strengthen our security. We believe we have a special obligation to ensure that those who protect our nation have the resources and support that they need.

Most of us in public life cannot begin to imagine the courage and dedication it takes to enter a burning building or approach a blazing truck or railroad car that may be about to explode, especially when others are running in the opposite direction. We can only dimly grasp the skill and discipline it takes to rescue and tend to a victim of a fire or an accident in the midst of confusion and danger. But surely those of us who make policy can always stand with those of you who take this courage and dedication, who exhibit the skill and discipline every single day.

As the leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Joe Lieberman and I have worked with you to fortify our defenses against the ancient enemy of fire, as well as against the newer challenges of terrorism and hazardous materials. Together, we have strengthened the U.S. Fire Administration. Together, we have fought to expand and improve the FIRE Act and the SAFER program. Together, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we joined forces to strengthen emergency preparedness. Together, we've kept FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security as a key component of an all-hazards approach to disaster preparedness and response.

But our obligation in government goes beyond bolstering grant programs and improving organizational structures. We have a duty -- yes, a solemn duty -- to ensure that those who serve with uncommon valor are treated with common decency. And that's why later today I will join with Senator Tom Carper of Delaware in introducing the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act. (Cheers, applause.)

Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.

Sounds like you already know about this bill. (Laughs, laughter.) It will provide federal firefighters with the same disability protections that millions of local firefighters across the nation currently enjoy. Federal firefighters put their lives on the line each day to protect some of our nation's most critical assets and infrastructure. These brave men and women deserve the same occupational safeguards and benefits that others enjoy. (Applause.)

Our nation's federal firefighters have some of the most hazardous jobs in the Fire Service, but federal law lacks a presumption that certain illnesses associated with firefighting are job-related. As a result, to qualify for disability, a federal firefighter who suffers from an occupational illness must specify the precise exposure that caused his or her illness. That is an almost unsurmountable burden under current law.

We would alleviate that burden. We would create a rebuttable presumption that cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases are job-related for purposes of worker's comp and disability payments. This legislation is important, and it's long overdue. (Applause.)

That's why, outside the federal government, 41 states have already enacted similar legislation. It's fundamentally unfair for firefighters employed by the federal government to not be eligible for disability payments for the same occupational diseases as their municipal counterparts. And that disparity is especially glaring in instances where federal firefighters work right alongside their municipal counterparts during mutual aid responses and are exposed to the same hazardous conditions. If the federal government wants to be competitive, it must be able to offer a similar benefits package.

We must also ensure that the people we most count on to protect and serve the public -- our firefighters, police officers, emergency medical crews and other first responders -- can exercise their right to organize and bargain collectively. (Applause.) And I am proud to be a longtime supporter of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. Let's get it through this Congress and signed into law. (Applause.)

It only requires four words to sum up the courage of your profession. These words were revealed to us by the recordings of the emergency calls made on that terrible morning of September 11th, 2001. They were spoken by Fire Captain Patrick Brown amid the suffocating smoke, searing flames and falling debris of the South Tower's 35th floor. They were Paddy Brown's last words to the outside world. He said, "We're still heading up."

We in the outside world can never know where the courage comes from to keep heading up into such dangers. But I, for one, recognize that courage, that dedication and that devotion, and that is why I will always be your advocate.

Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.)

END.

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