The Federal Government Shutdown – What It Means for Fire Departments
Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 started on October 1, but Congress has not passed any of the annual appropriations bills. So, funding for the federal agencies has lapsed and many federal workers have been furloughed.
Some federal programs and facilities like the National Fire Academy are closed and the U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit is postponed. The IAFC has a blog post describing the effects of federal government shutdown on local fire departments. The IAFC will keep you updated as the negotiations relating to the federal government shutdown continue.
Expiration of Medicare Ambulance Add-On Payments
The Medicare Ambulance Add-On Payments expired on Wednesday. The payments were a supplemental add-on to Medicare reimbursement for ambulance transportation at a variable rate depending on the population density of the service area; varying from 2% for urban; 3% for rural; and 22.6% for super rural areas. Under previously passed legislation, these payments were set to expire September 30, 2025.
A provision to extend these payments was included in a continuing resolution (H.R. 5371) that passed the House, but did not overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate. As a result, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will only reimburse the base ambulance rates for transports that occurred after midnight on October 1. There continues to be bipartisan support for these payments, and they are likely to be included in legislation to resolve the federal government shutdown. The IAFC continues to advocate for renewal of these payments and will provide updates as negotiations progress.
Please Ask Your Senators to Cosponsor Lithium-Ion Battery Legislation
Legislation that would codify federal safety standards in lithium-ion batteries in micromobility devices is gaining support. This week, the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (S. 389) received additional cosponsors in the U.S. Senate. Its companion legislation, H.R. 973 has already overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives. IAFC members should contact their local U.S. Senators and tell them to cosponsor S. 389. The more support this legislation can get, the quicker it will be considered on the Senate floor. Please contact your senator via the IAFC Legislative Action Center about this bill and other priorities for the IAFC.
U.S. Department of the Interior Announces Opening for Director of U.S. Wildland Fire Service
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) released the job posting for its Director of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS). Once established, the USWFS will manage and provide wildland fire protection within the DOI. The USWFS has full program authority and will coordinate the department's wildland fire management program in its entirety and ensure coordination within the DOI, the bureaus it serves, and with other federal and non-federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Forest Service, state foresters, tribes, and a variety of stakeholder groups, including the IAFC.
Interested fire chiefs may apply for the position at usajobs.gov. Applications are due by October 13.