Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4852 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4852

  To increase the preparation of structural firefighters to assist in
  wildfire and wildland-urban interface fire response efforts and the
coordination of firefighting teams across all levels of government, and
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2025

 Mr. Harder of California (for himself and Mr. Valadao) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and
in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Transportation and
  Infrastructure, Armed Services, and Education and Workforce, for a
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To increase the preparation of structural firefighters to assist in
  wildfire and wildland-urban interface fire response efforts and the
coordination of firefighting teams across all levels of government, 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 ``Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TRAINING PLAN AND GRANT PROGRAM UNDER THE UNITED STATES FOREST
              SERVICE.

    (a) Establishment of National Training Plan.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, in
consultation with the entities described in subsection (b), shall
publish a plan to train structural firefighters in the United States,
including such firefighters employed by the Federal Government, to
respond safely and effectively to incidents of the following:
            (1) Wildfire.
            (2) Fire in the wildland-urban interface.
    (b) Entities Described.--The entities described in this subsection
are the following:
            (1) The Secretary of the Interior.
            (2) The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire
        Coordination (as established under section 3(a)).
            (3) The Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire
        Prevention and Control of the Federal Emergency Management
        Agency.
    (c) Guidelines.--The plan published under subsection (a) shall
include guidelines for a training curriculum that incorporates the
following:
            (1) Such training materials as may be developed by the
        Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and
        Control pursuant to section 7 of the Federal Fire Prevention
        and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206).
            (2) The material for courses S-130 and S-190 (or any
        substantially similar successor course) developed by the
        National Wildlife Coordinating Group.
    (d) Training Development Grants.--The Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, may make a grant, on a
competitive basis, to an eligible entity to carry out a training
program for structural firefighters with a curriculum that--
            (1) adheres to the plan published under subsection (a); and
            (2) satisfies the guidelines referred to in subsection (c).
    (e) Eligibility.--An entity is an eligible entity and eligible to
apply for a grant described in subsection (d) if the entity is a
nonprofit organization that provides training or development programs
for structural firefighters with demonstrated experience with respect
to each of the following:
            (1) Developing curricula for classroom and practical
        training of structural firefighters.
            (2) Delivering teaching or training programs, both in-
        person and online, to structural firefighters on topics related
        to fireground safety and wildfire operations.
            (3) Collaboration with national nonprofit organizations to
        support research on firefighting safety and the health and
        wellness of firefighters.
    (f) Applications.--An eligible entity may apply to the Secretary of
Agriculture, in a form and manner determined by the Secretary, for a
grant under this section if the application includes a certification
that the training program referred to in subsection (d) is to be
carried out in consultation with each of the following:
            (1) Firefighting personnel of State and local fire service
        agencies, including such personnel with supervisory
        responsibilities or heads of such agencies.
            (2) Volunteer firefighters.
            (3) State and local officials who maintain and enforce
        building codes.
            (4) Researchers with experience investigating firefighting
        injuries and fatalities.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
        carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026
        through 2031.
            (2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary of Agriculture,
        acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, may obligate
        and expend, for each fiscal year specified in paragraph (1),
        not more than 2.5 percent of the amount authorized to be
        appropriated under such paragraph for technical assistance.
            (3) Carryover.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated to
        carry out this section shall remain available until expended.

SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF WILDFIRE AND WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE FIRE
              OPERATIONS.

    (a) Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire Coordination.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established in the Department
        of Agriculture a position known as the Under Secretary of
        Agriculture for Fire Coordination (referred to in this section
        as the ``Under Secretary''), who shall be appointed by the
        President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
            (2) Duties.--
                    (A) Fire preparedness and response.--The Under
                Secretary shall serve as the principal adviser to the
                Secretary of Agriculture for any matter that relates to
                the coordination of Federal, State, and local
                governments in preparing for, and responding to,
                incidents of the following:
                            (i) Wildfire.
                            (ii) Fires occurring in the wildland-urban
                        interface.
                    (B) Integration and effectiveness of firefighting
                efforts.--The Under Secretary shall coordinate with the
                Chief of the Forest Service with respect to the
                following:
                            (i) Improving the effectiveness of
                        firefighting operations conducted by the
                        Secretary of Agriculture.
                            (ii) Advising the Secretary of Agriculture
                        regarding the coordination described in
                        subparagraph (A).
                    (C) Other duties.--The Under Secretary shall
                exercise such other functions, and perform such other
                duties, as may be required by law or prescribed by the
                Secretary of Agriculture.
    (b) Wildland Fire Leadership Council; National Wildfire
Coordinating Group.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
        the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture and
        the Secretary of the Interior shall take such necessary actions
        to ensure that a representative of a national labor
        organization representing State and local firefighters is a
        member of the following:
                    (A) The Wildland Fire Leadership Council.
                    (B) The National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
            (2) Application.--A representative described in paragraph
        (1) may be a member of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council and
        the National Wildfire Coordinating Group at the same time if
        the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior
        determine such is appropriate.

SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FIREFIGHTING PERSONNEL.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon
request from a qualified agency head, the Secretary of Defense may
authorize firefighters in the Department of Defense to conduct
operations, or to assist the qualified agency head in conducting
operations, in response to incidents of wildfire or fire in the
wildland-urban interface.
    (b) Reimbursement.--A qualified agency head who makes a request to
the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) shall reimburse the
Secretary for the costs of the services provided by the Secretary
pursuant to the request, at rates determined, and agreed to, by the
Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the
Interior.
    (c) Report to Congress.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report on any financial and
logistical barriers to conducting the operations, or providing the
assistance, described in subsection (a).
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
                    (A) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of
                Representatives.
                    (B) The Committee on Natural Resources of the House
                of Representatives.
                    (C) The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
                of the House of Representatives.
                    (D) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
                Forestry of the Senate.
                    (E) The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
                of the Senate.
                    (F) The Committee on Homeland Security and
                Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
            (2) Qualified agency head.--The term ``qualified agency
        head'' means any of the following:
                    (A) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                    (B) The Secretary of the Interior.
                    (C) The head of any other relevant agency, as
                determined by the Secretary of Defense.

SEC. 5. FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL
              INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH.

    Section 22 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29
U.S.C. 671) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
    ``(i) Program of Firefighter Health and Safety Research.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a research
        and development program with respect to accomplish the
        following:
                    ``(A) To protect the respiratory health of
                firefighters responding to incidents of wildfire or
                fires in the wildland-urban interface.
                    ``(B) To identify and measure per- and
                polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly referred to as
                `PFAS') and other carcinogens which may be present in
                any of the following:
                            ``(i) Areas affected by--
                                    ``(I) incidents of wildfire or fire
                                in the wildland-urban interface; or
                                    ``(II) firefighting operations
                                conducted in response to such
                                incidents.
                            ``(ii) Protective equipment used by
                        firefighters responding to such incidents.
                            ``(iii) Any other setting, as determined by
                        the Director in accordance with paragraph
                        (2)(B).
            ``(2) Consultation with stakeholders.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In carrying out this subsection,
                the Director shall consult with the following:
                            ``(i) The Administrator of the United
                        States Fire Administration.
                            ``(ii) The Secretary of Agriculture.
                            ``(iii) Representatives from such nonprofit
                        organizations or labor unions representing
                        firefighters and fire officers in the public
                        sector.
                    ``(B) PFAS exposure investigations.--In identifying
                any other setting under paragraph (1)(B)(iii), the
                Director shall consult with the following:
                            ``(i) The entities specified in
                        subparagraph (A).
                            ``(ii) Stakeholders from the industries
                        that manufacture equipment for, or provide
                        assistance to, firefighters.
                            ``(iii) Structural firefighters who have
                        responded to incidents of wildfire or fires in
                        the wildland-urban interface.
                            ``(iv) The Secretary of the Interior.
                            ``(v) The Administrator of the
                        Environmental Protection Agency.
            ``(3) Reports to congress.--Not later than 180 days after
        the date of the enactment of this subsection and annually
        thereafter, the Director shall submit to the appropriate
        congressional committees a report on the following:
                    ``(A) The progress of the Director in carrying out
                this subsection.
                    ``(B) Any research findings identified as a result
                of the research conducted under this subsection.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
        authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
        years 2026 through 2031 to carry out this subsection.
            ``(5) Definition of appropriate congressional committees.--
        In this subsection, the term `appropriate congressional
        committees' means the following:
                    ``(A) The Committee on Natural Resources of the
                House of Representatives.
                    ``(B) The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
                of the Senate.''.

SEC. 6. MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.

    Section 327(d) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165f(d)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``Administration'' and inserting
                ``Administrator''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, subject to paragraph (4)''
                after ``participation''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Criteria for mental health assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator shall include
                the following in the criteria described in paragraph
                (1):
                            ``(i) Criteria specifying that a task force
                        with firefighters or other emergency responders
                        as members shall include, as members of the
                        task force, mental health practitioners
                        qualified to treat, monitor, or assess such
                        firefighters or other emergency responders for
                        post-traumatic stress injuries or other mental
                        or behavioral health conditions attributable to
                        service in the task force.
                            ``(ii) Criteria for each member of a task
                        force to be trained in peer mental health
                        support services and to provide such services
                        to an emergency responder serving in the task
                        force.
                            ``(iii) Criteria establishing that the peer
                        mental health support services referred to in
                        clause (ii) include the following:
                                    ``(I) Identification of warning
                                signs of post-traumatic stress
                                injuries.
                                    ``(II) Recognition of symptoms of
                                behavioral health conditions.
                                    ``(III) Application of de-
                                escalation methods.
                                    ``(IV) Referral to mental health
                                practitioners when appropriate.
                    ``(B) Consultation.--The Administrator may consult
                with nonprofit organizations to develop the criteria
                described in subparagraph (A) and provide grants to
                such organizations to provide training to task forces
                to comply with such criteria.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--From
                amounts authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
                section, the Administrator may obligate and expend not
                more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026
                through 2031 to carry out this paragraph.''.

SEC. 7. SUPPLEMENTAL FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire Coordination, in consultation
with the chief executives of each State in which a respective potential
recipient is located, may award grants on a competitive basis directly
to--
            (1) fire departments, for the purpose of protecting the
        health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel
        throughout the United States against fire, fire-related
        hazards, and other hazards; and
            (2) nonaffiliated EMS organizations (as defined in section
        33(a) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974
        (15 U.S.C. 2229(a))) to support the provision of emergency
        medical services.
    (b) Maximum Grant Amounts.--
            (1) Population.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of
        Agriculture may not award a grant under this section in excess
        of amounts as follows:
                    (A) In the case of a recipient that serves a
                jurisdiction of 100,000 people or fewer, the amount of
                the grant to such recipient shall not exceed $1,000,000
                in any fiscal year.
                    (B) In the case of a recipient that serves a
                jurisdiction with more than 100,000 people but not more
                than 500,000 people, the amount of the grant award to
                such recipient shall not exceed $2,000,000 in any
                fiscal year.
                    (C) In the case of a recipient that serves a
                jurisdiction with more than 500,000 but not more than
                1,000,000 people, the amount of the grant awarded to
                such recipient shall not exceed $3,000,000 in any
                fiscal year.
                    (D) In the case of a recipient that serves a
                jurisdiction with more than 1,000,000 people but not
                more than 2,500,000 people, the amount of the grant
                awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $6,000,000
                for any fiscal year.
                    (E) In the case of a recipient that serves a
                jurisdiction with more than 2,500,000 people, the
                amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not
                exceed $9,000,000 in any fiscal year.
            (2) Aggregate.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided under
                subparagraph (B), the Secretary of Agriculture may not
                award a grant under this section in a fiscal year in an
                amount that exceeds the amount that is one percent of
                the available grand funds in such fiscal year.
                    (B) Exception.--The Secretary of Agriculture may
                waive the limitation in subparagraph (A) with respect
                to a grant recipient if the Secretary determines that
                such recipient has an extraordinary need for a grant in
                an amount that exceeds the limit under the
                subparagraph.
    (c) Use of Grant Funds.--Each recipient of a grant under this
subsection shall use the grant for one or more of the following
purposes:
            (1) To obtain personal protective equipment suitable for
        responding to incidents of wildfire or fires in the wildland-
        urban interface.
            (2) To train firefighting personnel in responding to
        incidents of wildfire or fires in the wildland-urban interface.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations for Grants.--There is
authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to make
grants under this section.

SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON OPERATIONS INVOLVING WILDFIRES AND FIRES
              IN THE WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire
Coordination, in consultation with such nonprofit organizations or
labor organizations representing firefighters as determined appropriate
by the Under Secretary, shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that contains information relating to the
following:
            (1) The extent to which local fire service providers train
        personnel to respond to wildfires and fires in the wildland-
        urban interface.
            (2) The effectiveness of such training.
            (3) Obstacles that prevent the coordination described in
        section 3(a)(2)(A), with specific case studies to illustrate
        such obstacles.
    (b) Definition of Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this
Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the
following:
            (1) The Committee on Agriculture of the House of
        Representatives.
            (2) The Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
        Representatives.
            (3) The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
        House of Representatives.
            (4) The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
        of the Senate.
            (5) The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
        Senate.
            (6) The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
        Affairs of the Senate.
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