Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 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. 

“When a fire or disaster strikes, all responding fire apparatus must be staffed with a full complement of highly trained firefighters. Reduced crew sizes delays fire suppression and lifesaving efforts and risks the lives of victims and firefighters alike. Our nation has a duty to protect our warfighters, DOD employees, and our vital defense infrastructure,” said Edward A. Kelly, General President, International Association of Fire Fighters. “Having served as a U.S. Air Force firefighter before joining the Boston Fire Department, I can personally attest to the importance of maintaining proper fire apparatus staffing. Adhering to national standards for staffing levels allows for quicker control and mitigation of emergency scenes. I fully support the Federal Firefighters Workforce Protection Act, as introduced by Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, which directs the Department of Defense to keep four fire fighters on all structural fire apparatus and three fire fighters on airport fire apparatus at all times.”  

“Minimum staffing standards are essential for protecting workers and the communities they serve. Yet these standards are under attack in industries all across America, from two-person crews on passenger and freight trains to three- and four-person crews for federal firefighters. As the nation’s largest transportation labor union federation, we are committed to maintaining safe minimum staffing standards for all workers and we proudly support this legislation,” said Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

“The matter of staffing structural firefighting apparatus is studied in great detail. The findings are always the same: A three-member crew is less effective, less cost efficient, and less safe than a four-member crew. The difference is profound enough to create a national standard for firefighting that implores the use of four-member crews. The evidence to justify this standard is ample from a safety perspective for firefighters and victims, but also in economic terms for staffing efficiency and asset loss prevention. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) thanks Representative Scanlon for introducing the Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act, and we encourage swift co-sponsorship and action on the bill before a costly or deadly mistake is made in the federal firefighting services,” said Randy Erwin, National President, National Federation of Federal Employees.

The Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters, National Federation of Federal Employees, National Association of Government Employees, and the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

The full bill text is available here.

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