Sponsors (16)
The bill substantially expands federal support for wildfire/WUI response—improving firefighter training, health protections, coordination, and grant-funded equipment—but does so at measurable federal cost, with risks to DoD readiness, potential politicization of a new leadership role, and uneven access or local fit for some smaller or rural responders.
Firefighters (structural, wildland, and local) will receive standardized, grant-supported wildfire/WUI training aligned with national curricula, increasing safety and preparedness across jurisdictions.
Federal coordination will be strengthened by creating a Senate‑confirmed Under Secretary and guaranteed state/local representation on national wildfire coordination bodies, improving policy alignment and interagency planning for wildfire preparedness and response.
Communities near WUI areas will get faster access to trained DoD firefighting personnel during major wildfires under an interagency agreement process, potentially increasing response capacity in severe incidents.
Taxpayers will fund multiple new authorizations (including $100M one-time and recurring authorizations of $20M, $10M, and $5M per year), increasing federal spending and creating budget trade-offs for other priorities.
Relying on DoD personnel for wildfire response risks diverting military resources and readiness from core defense missions, creating national security and readiness trade-offs.
Grant eligibility limits, competitive award processes, per-recipient caps, and restrictions on allowable uses (e.g., PPE/training only) may disadvantage small, rural, or municipal departments and limit local flexibility to address other critical needs (vehicles, fuels reduction).
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Creates federal training plans and grants, a USDA Under Secretary for Fire Coordination, DoD assistance authority, NIOSH firefighter health research, FEMA mental‑health task force rules, and direct PPE/training grants for local fire/EMS providers.
Official title: 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.
Introduced August 1, 2025 by Josh Harder · Last progress August 1, 2025
Creates a coordinated federal effort to improve how structural firefighters, emergency responders, and communities prepare for and respond to wildfires and wildland-urban interface (WUI) incidents. It requires a national training plan and competitive grants, establishes a new Under Secretary for Fire Coordination at USDA, authorizes firefighter health research and mental‑health support for responder task forces, and enables limited Department of Defense firefighting assistance when requested and reimbursed. The bill authorizes multi-year funding for training grants, NIOSH research into firefighter respiratory and toxic exposure risks, FEMA mental‑health task force criteria and training grants, and a one‑year grant program for PPE and training for local fire and EMS providers. It also directs reports on training and DoD barriers to support, and adds firefighter labor representation to key wildfire coordination bodies.