Bill Summary
The "Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025" is legislation aimed at enhancing the safety standards for wildland firefighters in the United States. It mandates the Secretary of Agriculture, working alongside various federal agencies, to develop strategies for providing suitable respiratory protective equipment for wildland firefighters and supporting staff in environments where smoke exposure exceeds established safety limits.
The Act defines terms relevant to its provisions, including "wildland firefighter," and outlines the responsibilities of the Secretary to create and enforce safety measures. Specifically, it requires the Secretary to establish permissible exposure limits for wildfire smoke, review existing safety standards, and incorporate updated guidelines for respiratory protection. The legislation also authorizes necessary funding to implement these safety improvements, ensuring better protection for those who risk their lives in wildland firefighting activities.
Possible Impacts
The "Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025" aims to enhance safety standards for wildland firefighters. Here are three examples of how this legislation could affect people:
1. **Improved Respiratory Health for Firefighters**: By mandating the availability and use of appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE) for wildland firefighters, the legislation aims to reduce exposure to harmful smoke and toxins. This could lead to fewer respiratory illnesses and long-term health issues among firefighters, ultimately improving their quality of life and work performance.
2. **Enhanced Training and Compliance**: The requirement for firefighters and supporting staff to use designated PPE in high-exposure environments means that fire departments will need to implement better training programs and compliance measures. This could lead to job creation in training and safety oversight roles, thereby positively impacting local economies and community safety.
3. **Increased Awareness and Support for Wildland Firefighting**: The act emphasizes the importance of wildland firefighter safety, which may lead to increased public awareness and support for these essential workers. This could translate into greater community engagement, more funding for firefighting resources, and improved mental health support for firefighters, recognizing the challenging and dangerous nature of their work.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3183 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3183
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to improve safety standards for
wildland firefighters, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 18, 2025
Mr. Schiff (for himself, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Sheehy, and Mr. Padilla)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to improve safety standards for
wildland firefighters, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered permissible exposure limits.--The term
``covered permissible exposure limits'' means--
(A) the permissible smoke exposure limit
established by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health; and
(B) the permissible occupational smoke exposure
limit established by the Occupational Health and Safety
Administration.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
(3) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary, with respect to wildland
firefighters under the direction of the Secretary; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to
wildland firefighters under the direction of the
Secretary of the Interior.
(4) Wildland firefighter.--The term ``wildland
firefighter'' means any person who participates in wildland
firefighting activities under the direction of the Secretary or
the Secretary of the Interior, including under a contract with
the Secretary or the Secretary of the Interior.
(b) Safety Standards.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2)--
(A) not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination
with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the
Secretary of the Interior, and other appropriate
Federal agencies, shall develop a strategy to make
commercially available appropriate respiratory personal
protective equipment for wildland firefighters and
supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure
surpasses covered permissible exposure limits;
(B) the Secretary, in consultation with the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
shall determine appropriate respiratory personal
protective equipment for wildland firefighters and
supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure
surpasses covered permissible exposure limits; and
(C) the Secretary concerned shall require each
wildland firefighter and supporting staff to use the
respiratory personal protective equipment determined
under subparagraph (B) in settings in which smoke
exposure surpasses covered permissible exposure limits.
(2) Review.--The Secretary shall--
(A) in consultation with the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration--
(i) periodically review standards relating
to personal protective equipment and other
safety standards for wildland firefighters and
supporting staff, including the respiratory
personal protective equipment determined under
paragraph (1)(B); and
(ii) develop an appropriate permissible
exposure limit or occupational exposure limit
for wildfire smoke for wildland firefighters
and supporting staff participating in settings
described in paragraph (1)(A) if the Secretary
determines that the covered permissible
exposure limits are not tailored to those
settings; and
(B) incorporate into the standards described in
subparagraph (A)(i), by reference, the most recent
edition of standard NFPA 1984, entitled ``Standard on
Respirators for Wildland Fire-Fighting and Wildland
Urban Interface Operations'' (and any subsequent
editions), as necessary, for the safety and personal
protection of wildland firefighters and supporting
staff, subject to the limit described in subsection
(a)(1)(A).
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section for each fiscal year.
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