‘Survival’ of Volunteer Firefighters on the Line in OSHA Rule

Small volunteer fire departments would see mass closures across the US unless the Occupational Safety and Health Administration changes how it treats volunteer firefighters on its upcoming emergency response rule, fire chiefs say.

The loss of small volunteer fire departments, which are often placed in isolated rural areas, could put communities at risk of delayed response time to emergencies and higher insurance costs for homeowners, advocates for volunteer firefighters say. Nearly 70% of stations listed on the National Fire Department Registry are volunteer and volunteers make up 52% of all firefighters on the registry.

While the volunteers say they are ...