Washington, D.C. – This week, the Minnesota Republican Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su voicing concerns over the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed rule updating the Fire Brigades standard. The proposed rule could negatively impact hiring, maintenance, and operations at Minnesota fire departments.
Minnesota boasts over 700 volunteer fire departments, saving taxpayers billions of dollars annually while providing reliable first-responder services. This letter comes as these departments struggle to recruit and retain qualified firefighters to protect Minnesota communities.
"In Minnesota, more than 96% of our firefighters are volunteers, and this proposed rule, if finalized, would override current safety guidelines, significantly escalate spending, and strain volunteer firefighters at a time when staffing levels are critical," the letter says. "Therefore, we would urge USHA to reconsider implementing the proposed rule to ensure the sustained viability of Minnesota's volunteer fire departments."
Background:
The proposed OSHA rule, released on February 5, 2024, seeks to update the Fire Brigades Standard, which has seen minimal updates since its creation in 1980. The proposed rule, if finalized, would override current safety guidelines, significantly escalate spending, and strain volunteer firefighters at a time when staffing levels are critical.
OSHA’s estimates suggest these new standards will cost the average volunteer fire department $14,551 annually, but this dramatically underestimates the true financial impact of these new regulations. Non-essential equipment upgrade mandates would cost struggling local fire departments more than $3,000 per firefighter and additional administrative compliance costs could add another $4,800 per year to operating costs. These substantial costs could severely impact firefighter readiness and department recruitment and retention initiatives for volunteer fire departments, which do not receive the same funding as larger departments.
Minnesota fire departments have already seen a 25% decrease in the volunteer firefighting force over the last forty years. OSHA’s proposed rule would essentially require volunteer firefighter departments to implement and comply with these new standards.
The delegation’s letter urges Acting Secretary Su to reconsider the rule and seeks clarification on whether OSHA will provide exceptions for paid-on-call and volunteer fire departments should the rule go into effect.
You can read the letter in its entirety here.
