First responders like firefighters are known to be in dangerous jobs. But OSHA, the federal agency that set and enforces standards for workplace conditions is hoping to help make those work environments as safe as possible. According to OSHA, the “existing safety and health standards do not adequately protect the emergency response workforce from these hazards.” The federal agency has proposed a set of new regulations that would replace the current fire brigade standard implemented in 1980. “From what I can gather from OSHA is they’re wanting to combine a whole bunch of, like, 22 guidelines into one mandate. Mandate is a little scary,” says Kevin Theilen, Deputy Fire Chief of the Duenweg Fire Department. Fire departments and associations across the country are now speaking out against the proposed standards, including the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Firefighter Association of Missouri. “No one is discounting that there could be room for improved firefighter safety, and the National Fire Protection Association plus other standards are a valuable guide in getting there but not as a club which could and “WILL IN SOME CASES” cripple some departments and potentially close others in low populated areas due to extraordinary budget limitations,” wrote the Firefighter Association of Missouri in a response to the OSHA proposal.
Source: KOAM News
