- Record: Senate Floor
- Section type: Legislation
- Chamber: Senate
- Date: September 17, 2026
- Congress: 119th Congress
- Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.
By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Merkley, and Mr.
Sheehy):
S. 5433. A bill to authorize the Federal Wildland Firefighter Health and Wellbeing Program, a comprehensive initiative to improve the health of Federal wildland firefighters, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act. This bill would address some of the serious health risks Federal wildland firefighters face when on the job.
occurred in communities across the country as wildfires grow in frequency and intensity. Last year, we saw the Eaton and Palisades fires destroy thousands of structures and take 31 lives, making them 2 of the worst fires in history.
familiar with wildfires. Containing them has proven to be a large undertaking that has required close local, State, and Federal coordination.
thanks to the bravery and hard work of fire crews on the ground. During the LA fires, firefighters from across the State, country, and even abroad answered our call for support, and it is thanks to their hard work and bravery that more structures and, most importantly, more lives were not lost.
given the dangerous nature of their work. In the 1970s, structural firefighters began using respiratory protection, yet we are still sending wildland firefighters into dangerous conditions without adequate protection.
panel of outside stakeholders to coordinate exposure reduction, pilot respiratory technologies, and develop an updated wildland firefighter health strategy every 3 years.
with me in the Senate. Finally, I want to thank our brave Federal firefighters for risking their lives to protect our communities when they need it the most. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act as quickly as possible.