Volunteer Fire Depts Risk Closure With New OSHA Regulation
A new regulation in the approval process from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) could shut down up to 80% of volunteer fire departments across the nation.
The proposed OSHA regulation would “increase training requirements, require more pre-planning for emergency situations, set stricter limits on the lifespan of some firefighting equipment, and impose more rigorous health screenings for [fire] fighters,” according to KCUR, a public radio station in Kansas City.
Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran and Delaware Democrat Senator Chris Coons have cosigned a letter to acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su asking for exemptions to the regulation for volunteer fire fighters.
It may come as a surprise to some readers that over 85% of the nations fire departments are volunteer or mostly volunteer.
The added regulations proposed by OSHA would result in closure of many volunteer fire departments, reducing the safety of communities across the country.
