Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act
Bill: H.R.7898 | Sponsor: Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay (D-PA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure that members of the Armed Forces and employees of defense agencies who provide fire protection services to military installations comply with the National Consensus Standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association.
DOD must also ensure the minimum staffing requirement for any firefighting vehicle responding to a structural building emergency at a military installation is not less than four firefighters per vehicle and the minimum requirement for such vehicle responding to an aircraft or airfield incident is not less than three firefighters per vehicle.

To direct the Secretary of Defense to ensure that fire protection 
 services at military installations comply with certain standards for 
            Federal fire protection, 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 ``Federal Firefighters Workforce 
Support Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FIRE PROTECTION AT MILITARY 
              INSTALLATIONS.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) fire protection staffing levels for all responses on 
        military installations must rigorously comply with staffing 
        benchmarks detailed in National Consensus Standards developed 
        by the National Fire Protection Association; and
            (2) fire protection is an essential service and therefore, 
        budgetary considerations should not justify the degradation of 
        installation emergency services.
    (b) Standards Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
that--
            (1) members of the armed forces and employees of Defense 
        Agencies who provide fire protection services to military 
        installations shall comply with the National Consensus 
        Standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association 
        pursuant to section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer 
        and Advancement Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113; 15 U.S.C. 272 
        note);
            (2) the minimum staffing requirement for any firefighting 
        vehicle responding to a structural building emergency at a 
        military installation is not less than four firefighters per 
        vehicle; and
            (3) the minimum staffing requirement for any firefighting 
        vehicle responding to an aircraft or airfield incident at a 
        military installation is not less than three firefighters per 
        vehicle.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The terms ``armed forces'' and ``Defense Agency'' have 
        the meanings given such terms in section 101 of title 10, 
        United States Code.
            (2) The term ``firefighter'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 707(b) of the National Defense Authorization 
        Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Pub. L. 116-92; 10 U.S.C. 1074m 
        note).
            (3) The term ``military installation'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 2801 of title 10, United States 
        Code.
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