As Chairman of the NVFC OSHA Task Force, a participant of the OSHA Small Business Advocacy Review Panel, and Vice President of the New York State Association of Fire Districts, I am encouraged and cautiously optimistic about the recent details OSHA has released regarding this process and the goal to adopt a final rule next April.

Since the beginning, our collective organizations have closely monitored the progress of the proposed regulation and worked diligently to educate stakeholders on its potential impact. We applaud OSHA and the Department of Labor for their engagement throughout this process. OSHA has encouraged participation and demonstrated a genuine interest in doing what is best to protect the approximately 1.18 million firefighters who serve communities across this great nation.

From the very beginning, our position remained consistent. We had serious concerns that the proposal, as originally written, would have been crippling to the American fire service and was simply unattainable for many if not most all departments career or volunteer. We believed the proposal would have had unintended consequences that could negatively impact both the firefighters it sought to protect and the communities they are sworn to serve.

Our position was that if the proposal were to move forward unchanged, the volunteer fire service would, at a minimum, need to be exempt. While that represented a worst-case scenario, it was never our preferred solution. Firefighters face the same hazards and risks regardless of whether they receive a paycheck. To advocate for a blanket exemption solely because a firefighter serves on a volunteer basis, diminishes the value of their service and the importance of their safety.

Collectively, the fire service submitted thousands of letters and provided hundreds of hours of testimony outlining practical changes that would make the proposed rule both achievable and affordable for local communities. We offered clear, real-world examples of how the language could be modified to enhance firefighter safety while remaining economically and operationally feasible. OSHA and the Department of Labor listened, asked thoughtful questions, sought clarification, and carefully considered our concerns. As a result, we remain optimistic that reasonable modifications can and will be made to strike the delicate balance between safety and feasibility. To be perfectly clear, we do not believe that a pure exemption is the not right answer and raises serious concerns. Instead, we need a modified rule based on the testimony given.

In our view, OSHA and the Department of Labor have worked tirelessly and in good faith throughout this process to develop an effective and practical final rule. In an unprecedented effort, both the career and volunteer fire service have come together to offer constructive solutions that protect firefighters while recognizing the financial realities faced by local governments and taxpayers. This collaboration has opened the door for a continued partnership that will serve our firefighters well on a variety of different topics. We commend all for rolling up their sleeves and having meaningful conversations about our future. No single organization will solve these problems alone.

Only by working together can we find the middle ground and achieve what is best for everyone involved. Through collaboration, facts, data, and sound judgment—not emotion and rhetoric alone, we can develop a solution that meaningfully improves firefighter safety while remaining practical and sustainable for the communities we serve.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in, supported, and led these efforts. Your dedication, professionalism, and commitment to the future of the fire service have been instrumental in moving this conversation forward.