Wildfire Responder Protection Act

Key Points

• This bill expands federal worker's compensation to cover more types of wildfire workers. It specifically adds jobs like fuels specialists, burn bosses, and members of prescribed fire crews to the list of people eligible for these benefits.
• The policy changes the rules so that workers are covered not just during active fire suppression, but also during planned burns and efforts to reduce brush and fuel. This recognizes that preparing for fires is just as dangerous as fighting them.
• It ensures that federal employees who work on fire protection for a large part of the year are protected. This helps seasonal and specialized workers who might have been left out of certain benefits in the past.
• By updating these definitions, the bill aims to make sure that if a worker gets sick or injured while managing forest health or setting controlled fires, they can access the same medical and financial support as traditional firefighters.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.