Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025

This bill focuses on getting local “structural” firefighters ready for wildfires and for fires where homes meet forests or brush, and on tightening teamwork across federal, state, and local agencies. It directs the Forest Service to publish a national training plan within one year and offers competitive grants to nonprofits to build and deliver that training, funded at $5 million per year from 2026–2031. It also creates a new senior wildfire coordinator at the Department of Agriculture and adds a firefighter labor representative to key federal wildfire groups within 60 days to improve on-the-ground coordination. Department of Defense firefighters may assist during wildfires when asked, with costs repaid and a report on any barriers required.

To protect health, the bill funds a NIOSH program to study firefighter breathing risks and to detect PFAS and other cancer-causing chemicals in wildfire areas and gear, with $20 million per year from 2026–2031 and regular progress reports. It boosts mental health support for responder task forces by requiring on-team mental health professionals and peer-support training, with up to $10 million per year from 2026–2031. It also sets up a supplemental grant program so fire departments and EMS can buy wildfire‑ready protective gear and training, with grant caps tied to local population ($1M–$9M) and $100 million authorized for 2026 . A separate report to Congress is due within one year on how well local departments train for wildfires and on obstacles to working together, with real-world examples.

• Who is affected: Local and volunteer firefighters, fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS; federal agencies like the Forest Service and Defense; first responder task forces; and NIOSH and partners involved in safety research and PFAS testing .
• What changes: More training and equipment for wildfire response; a new national coordinator for fire operations; the option to use DoD firefighters; stronger mental health supports; and new research into firefighter health risks .
• When: Training plan due within one year; firefighter-labor seat added within 60 days; NIOSH’s first report due in 180 days and then yearly; major funding runs 2026–2031; supplemental fire grants authorized for 2026; a coordination/training report due in one year .