OSHA Proposed Emergency Response Standard

On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modernize the agency’s “Fire Brigades” standard with a proposed new “Emergency Response Standard.” This NPRM’s publication triggered the beginning of a public comment period that is scheduled to conclude June 21, 2024 (now extended to July 21, 2024).

While many of the proposed provisions would be helpful and improve the safety of emergency responders, many of the new requirements would be very burdensome, and in many cases impossible, for volunteer fire and emergency service departments to comply with. If the standard is adopted in its current form, many departments would be forced to shut their doors or else operate outside of the federal standard, leaving themselves open to fines, citations, and huge civil liability exposure.

Nothing in the proposed standard is final at this stage, so now is the time to take action. It is critical that members of the fire and emergency services submit a public comment explaining what should be changed in the proposed standard and why. Here are resources to help you better understand the standard and how to submit an effective comment.

05/31/2024 Michigan State Firemen’s Association Webinar and Resources

View the Proposed Standard

Take Action

Additional Resources

Michigan Resources

Sample Letters and Comments

For more information including current updates, visit https://www.nvfc.org/osha-standard/

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