Ask Congress to Re-Open the National Fire Academy!
Congress has yet to pass legislation to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for Fiscal Year 2026. The National Fire Academy (NFA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) are still closed. The grant application periods for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S), and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant applications will be delayed, and the FEMA GO portal remains inoperative.
Please use the IAFC’s Legislative Action Center to send a message directly to your Senators and Representative asking them to fund USFA, NFA, AFG, FP&S, SAFER, and the other important fire service programs at DHS. Also, if you are in Washington, DC, next week, please meet with your members of Congress and their staff and ask them to fund these programs.
Get Ready for Next Week’s Capitol Hill Fly-In!
The National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner is on March 19. If you are in DC for the dinner, please use the time to meet with your members of Congress. The IAFC has updated its monthly Hot Sheet with legislative issues. Please feel free to download this document to use for your meetings with Members of Congress.
Also, Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford, the IAFC’s President and Board Chair, and the IAFC Government Relations and Policy staff recently held a webinar on major legislative issues facing the fire and emergency service this spring.
To find your Representative, you can use the box at the top left corner of the House of Representatives’ web page.
To find your Senators, you can use the U.S. Senate website.
Please use this week to meet with your members of Congress and ask them to fund fire service programs like the NFA, USFA, AFG, FP&S, and SAFER programs!
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Introduces NG9-1-1 Legislation
On March 11, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced legislation that would help transition our nation’s legacy 9-1-1 systems to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). The Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (S. 4062) updates and reauthorizes federal support for NG9-1-1 systems nationwide. The legislation establishes a program at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that creates a clear federal framework for upgrading legacy 9-1-1 infrastructure.
The IAFC remains committed to working with our partners in the Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition to ensure that we finally see this much-needed transition to this lifesaving technology.
Senate Passes Amended Housing Package
On March 12, the Senate passed an amended version of the 21st Century Housing Act (H.R. 6644). The original House-passed version included a single stair provision. After advocacy from the IAFC, the single stair provision was removed in the amended version passed by the Senate. The bill now goes back to the House for consideration. If the amended version is not passed in the House, it may head to a legislative conference, where members from the House and Senate will come to a compromise that will pass both the House and the Senate. The IAFC will continue to advocate against dangerous single-stair building proposals.
California Fire Marshal Releases Single Stair Report
Last week, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal released their report on single-stair apartment buildings. Mandated by legislation, the report is a product of a study group that includes the fire service, code development organizations, housing advocates, building groups, and architects. The report contains research and computer modeling performed by the workgroup on the evacuation of single-stair apartment buildings and firefighting operations. The report concludes that building codes should not allow single-stair apartment buildings over 4 stories and highlights additional fire-safety systems needed in apartment buildings.
New LODD Report by the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program issued a new report:
F2025-04 MD: 46-Year-Old Lieutenant Collapses While Serving as Driver/Engineer at Residential Fire – Maryland