Rep. Harder Introduces the Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025
Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- The bill creates a national plan to train structural (city/town) firefighters to safely respond to wildfires and fires in areas where neighborhoods meet forests. It authorizes $5 million per year from 2026 through 2031 in competitive grants to nonprofit organizations that develop these training programs.
From policy text
“There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.”
View in full text - A new senior position — the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Fire Coordination — would be created and appointed by the president with Senate confirmation. This person would serve as the top adviser on coordinating federal, state, and local wildfire response.
From policy text
“The Under Secretary shall serve as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Agriculture for any matter that relates to the coordination of Federal, State, and local governments in preparing for, and responding to, incidents of the following: (i) Wildfire. (ii) Fires occurring in the wildland-urban interface.”
View in full text - The bill authorizes $20 million per year to fund NIOSH research on protecting firefighter respiratory health and identifying dangerous chemicals — including PFAS "forever chemicals" — in wildfire zones, firefighting equipment, and other settings.
- Emergency response task forces would be required to include mental health practitioners and provide peer support training to all members, including identifying warning signs of PTSD and behavioral health conditions. Up to $10 million per year is authorized for this effort.
From policy text
“Criteria specifying that a task force with firefighters or other emergency responders as members shall include, as members of the task force, mental health practitioners qualified to treat, monitor, or assess such firefighters or other emergency responders for post-traumatic stress injuries or other mental or behavioral health conditions attributable to service in the task force.”
View in full text - Local fire departments could compete for a share of $100 million in fiscal year 2026 to buy wildfire-appropriate protective gear and fund wildfire training. Grant caps range from $1 million for small jurisdictions to $9 million for the largest cities.
From policy text
“There is authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 to make grants under this section.”
View in full text - The Department of Defense would be authorized to send its firefighters to help fight wildfires when requested by federal agency heads, with the requesting agency reimbursing DoD for the costs.
From policy text
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon request from a qualified agency head, the Secretary of Defense may authorize firefighters in the Department of Defense to conduct operations, or to assist the qualified agency head in conducting operations, in response to incidents of wildfire or fire in the wildland-urban interface.”
View in full text
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
State Impacts
Milestones
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, Armed Services, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
What Happens Next
Projected impacts based on AI analysis
National wildfire training plan for structural firefighters is published
Local fire departments across the country would have a standardized roadmap for training their crews to fight wildfires safely, setting the foundation for grant-funded training programs.
$100 million in fire department grants becomes available for FY2026
Local fire departments could start applying for funding to buy wildfire-appropriate protective gear and pay for new training, with grants ranging from $1 million to $9 million depending on community size.
Labor representative joins Wildland Fire Leadership Council and National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Frontline firefighters gain a formal voice in national wildfire policy decisions within 60 days of enactment, ensuring their safety concerns are represented at the highest coordination levels.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(8)Data Sources
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.