II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4687 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to wildland firefighters in recognition 

of their strength, resiliency, sacrifice, and service to protect the forests, 

grasslands, and communities of the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 11 (legislative day, JULY 10), 2024 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. BENNET, Mr. KING, Mr. 

RISCH, Mr. WICKER, Mr. HICKENLOOPER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. HEINRICH, 

and Mr. DAINES) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to wildland firefighters 

in recognition of their strength, resiliency, sacrifice, and 

service to protect the forests, grasslands, and communities of the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wildland Firefighters 

5 Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•S 4687 IS

1 (1) Wildland fires have increased in intensity 

2 and severity over the 30-year period preceding the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, causing catastrophic 

4 destruction to homes, infrastructure, and valuable 

5 Federal, State, and private lands. More than 

6 1,000,000,000 acres of land across the United 

7 States are at risk of wildfire, including approxi8 mately 117,000,000 acres of Federal land that have 

9 been identified as high or very high risk for wildfire 

10 potential. 

11 (2) The Forest Service, the Bureau of Land 

12 Management, the National Park Service, the United 

13 States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of 

14 Indian Affairs collectively employ more than 18,700 

15 wildland firefighters to combat wildfires across mil16 lions of acres of public and private lands each year, 

17 while thousands more workers and volunteers serve 

18 as State, local, and contract wildland firefighters. 

19 (3) As the wildland-urban interface expands, 

20 wildfires increasingly find their way out of the 

21 backcountry and into the backyards of communities 

22 across the United States. Wildland firefighters are 

23 evolving their skillsets, tactics, and strategies to ad24 dress the growing threat of wildfire in the 21st cen25 tury. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•S 4687 IS

1 (4) While the protection of life and property re2 mains a top priority, wildland firefighters also have 

3 an important role in responsible forest management 

4 and conservation. Wildland firefighters perform pre5 scribed burns and other forest management activi6 ties, including timber harvests, contribute to healthy 

7 forests, and reduce catastrophic wildfire risk. 

8 (5) Each wildland firefighter is specialized and 

9 trained to work in dynamic and extraordinarily dan10 gerous environments. Wildland firefighters routinely 

11 work long days while on a 2-week rotation, often 

12 sleeping in inhospitable conditions. 

13 (6) According to the Forest Service, firefighters 

14 generally work 16-hour days while fighting a fire, 

15 and they typically exceed 2,500 operational hours in 

16 a 6-month period. 

17 (7) Wildland firefighter crews are all-hazards 

18 frontline emergency responders that use any means 

19 necessary to protect life and property while respond20 ing to floods, hurricanes, pandemics, and acts of ter21 rorism. 

22 (8) Engine and hand crews, the primary fire23 fighting workforce, come in varying sizes and mod24 ules that can be tailored to fit the specific needs and 

25 terrain obstacles that each fire presents. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•S 4687 IS

1 (9) Interagency hotshot crews are highly skilled 

2 mobile hand crews with elite knowledge about fire 

3 suppression tactics. 

4 (10) Pilots and aerial fire suppression crews 

5 take to the skies with air tankers and helicopters to 

6 drop water and fire retardant, supporting decision7 makers on the ground. 

8 (11) Aerially-delivered firefighters, including 

9 helitack crews and smokejumpers, exit helicopters 

10 and jump from planes into remote and difficult-to11 reach areas, providing quick and targeted fire sup12 pression and emergency medical short-haul extrac13 tion. These fire personnel provide oversight and di14 rect action on initial and extended attack incidents. 

15 (12) Wildland firefighters in the United States 

16 also answer the call to fight wildfires internationally. 

17 During the record-setting fires in Australia in 2020, 

18 the United States sent 362 firefighters to help. Dur19 ing Canada’s historic 2023 fire season, more than 

20 2,000 Federal wildland firefighters answered the 

21 call. 

22 (13) As of the date of enactment of this Act, 

23 the United States maintains mutual assistance and 

24 cooperation agreements for wildland firefighting efVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 Aug 15, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4687.IS S4687

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•S 4687 IS

1 forts with Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, 

2 and Portugal. 

3 (14) The increases in the severity of wildfires 

4 and in annual fire season active months have also 

5 increased the demand for wildland firefighters and 

6 associated employees. Recruitment and retention of 

7 wildland firefighters has been a national issue for 

8 many years. 

9 (15) Wildland firefighters put their lives on the 

10 line to keep the people of the United States safe, 

11 and some pay the ultimate sacrifice to do so. In the 

12 5-year period preceding the date of enactment of 

13 this Act, 91 wildland firefighters have lost their lives 

14 fighting fires. Acute and secondary effects from 

15 wildfire, such as wildfire smoke exposure, are di16 rectly linked to tens of thousands of firefighter and 

17 civilian deaths each year. 

18 (16) June 30 to July 6 of each year is recog19 nized as a Week of Remembrance to honor the fallen 

20 wildland firefighters who sacrificed their lives to pro21 tect the wildlands of the United States. 

22 (17) National Wildland Firefighter Day is held 

23 annually on July 2 to recognize all who are devoted 

24 to wildland firefighting. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•S 4687 IS

1 (18) The exemplary efforts of wildland fire2 fighters are deserving of recognition, and it is appro3 priate and proper to honor those who have pre4 viously served, as well as current and future fire5 fighters. Wildland firefighters showcase principles of 

6 duty, respect, and integrity in every aspect of serv7 ice. Each firefighter exhibits strength, resiliency, and 

8 grit to protect the forests, grasslands, and commu9 nities of the United States. Wildland firefighters do 

10 not shy away from dangerous situations, but instead 

11 risk life and limb to help others. The outstanding 

12 accomplishments of these brave individuals continue 

13 an unparalleled legacy of public service. 

14 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

15 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

16 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem17 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

18 for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a single 

19 gold medal of appropriate design in honor of wildland fire20 fighters, collectively, in recognition of their strength, resil21 iency, sacrifice, and service to protect the forests, grass22 lands, and communities of the United States. 

23 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

24 presentation described in subsection (a), the Secretary of 

25 the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•S 4687 IS

1 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, 

2 and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary, in 

3 consultation with the National Interagency Fire Center. 

4 (c) DISPOSITION OF MEDAL.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the presentation 

6 of the gold medal under subsection (a), the gold 

7 medal shall be given to the National Interagency 

8 Fire Center, where the gold medal shall be dis9 played, as appropriate, and made available for re10 search. 

11 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

12 Congress that the National Interagency Fire Center 

13 should ensure that the display and availability of the 

14 medal described in paragraph (1) be at appropriate 

15 locations, particularly locations associated with 

16 wildland firefighters. 

17 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

18 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

19 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

20 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

21 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

22 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

23 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck under 

24 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

25 of title 31, United States Code. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•S 4687 IS

1 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

2 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

3 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

4 items. 

5 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

6 SALE. 

7 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

8 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

9 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec10 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

11 this Act. 

12 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALES.—Amounts received from 

13 the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under sec14 tion 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Pub15 lic Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB