OSHA Emergency Response Hearing Concluding, Post Hearing Public Comment Period to Follow

December 3, 2024

Since November 12, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been holding a virtual public hearing on its proposed Emergency Response Standard. This hearing provides an additional opportunity for stakeholders to weigh in on the proposed standard, which could have a damaging impact on the volunteer fire service if adopted as-is. The last day of this hearing will be December 4.

Links to the recordings of each day’s testimony can be found on the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) OSHA Landing Page. The NVFC had five witnesses testify at the hearing on November 12; watch the testimony here starting at timestamp 3:29:30. The NVFC’s written testimony can be viewed here. Additionally, nearly 30 other NVFC directors have testified at OSHA’s public hearing on behalf of their departments and state organizations.

Following the December 4 conclusion of the hearing, OSHA will reopen the standard’s docket for a second public comment period. This comment period will run through January 17. Anyone, regardless of whether they’ve commented earlier in the development process of this standard, may submit public comments here once the docket is reopened.

It is important that OSHA hear from as many volunteer fire departments as possible during this comment period. It is clear that OSHA has learned a great deal about the volunteer fire service through the comments and testimony it has received this year. This is evident in their September 17 statement on volunteer firefighters. It is critical to keep this momentum going.

Unsure what to write in your public comments? Tell OSHA about your department and community. Tell them about your budget and what it’s allocated towards. Also tell OSHA about other important details like your call volume, population size, age of apparatus, the area you serve, and number of active members your department has. OSHA needs to receive the clearest picture possible of the volunteer fire service to clear up any misunderstandings they have. Find additional resources here.