DIX HILLS, New York (June 6, 2024) — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed big changes for fire departments, and firefighters on Long Island are pushing back, cbsnews.com reported.
At a news conference at the Dix Hills Fire Department on Wednesday, June 5, Long Island volunteer firefighters warn the proposed changes will impact safety and local taxes, the report said.
Long Island volunteer firefighters call the new safety document from OSHA a one-sized directive that doesn’t fit all departments.
Some of the new requirements include:
- Doubling basic training from 150 to 300 hours
- Increase required classes for chiefs (some courses are not even offered in New York)
- Shortens the lifespan of fire trucks
Firefighters say they feel unheard and they’re asking members of Congress to intervene and exempt volunteer fire departments, according to the report.
From OSHA
OSHA is happy to announce that the Emergency Response proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register and is now available for viewing.
OSHA welcomes and encourages the submission of public comments in response to this proposed rule. To allow additional time for those individuals interested in creating and submitting a comment, OSHA will be further extending the window for comment submission. The comment period ends July 22, 2024.
Comments can be submitted to the Emergency Response Docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OSHA-2007-0073.
OSHA will also be hosting a public hearing, the date of which has yet to be determined. To ensure access to the hearing for all interested members of the public, remote access will be provided.
Additional information on OSHA’s rulemaking process and how stakeholders can participate is available at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess.
Background
Emergency response workers in America face considerable occupational health and safety hazards in dynamic and unpredictable work environments. Current OSHA emergency response and preparedness standards are outdated and incomplete. They do not address the full range of hazards facing emergency responders, lag behind changes in protective equipment performance and industry practices, conflict with industry consensus standards, and are not aligned with many current emergency response guidelines provided by other federal agencies (e.g., DHS/FEMA). In recognition of the inadequacy of the outdated safeguards provided by the current OSHA standards, the proposed rule seeks to ensure that workers involved in Emergency Response activities get the protections they deserve from the hazards they are likely to encounter while on the job.
About the Rule
The proposed rule would replace OSHA’s existing Fire Brigades standard, 29 CFR 1910.156, which was originally promulgated in 1980, covers only a subset of present-day emergency responders (firefighters) and has only had minor updates in the 43 years since it was published.
The focus of the proposed Emergency Response rule is to provide basic workplace protections for workers who respond to emergencies as part of their regularly assigned duties. Notably, the scope of protected workers under the proposed rule would be expanded to include workers who provide emergency medical service and technical search and rescue.
OSHA looks forward to receiving comments and other input from interested stakeholders and the general public.
