S. 3183: Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025 (119th Congress) Bill Summary

The Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025 is a bill aimed at enhancing safety standards for wildland firefighters and improving their respiratory protections. Here’s a breakdown of what the bill proposes:

Definitions

The bill defines key terms important for understanding its provisions:

Covered permissible exposure limits: The bill specifies these limits as those established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) concerning smoke exposure.
Secretary: Refers to the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
Secretary concerned: This refers to both the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, depending on which agency is overseeing the firefighting activities.
Wildland firefighter: This includes individuals who engage in firefighting activities under the direction of the federal government, whether as employees or contractors.

Improving Safety Standards

The bill outlines steps to develop and implement improved safety standards:

Development of respiratory protection: Within one year of the bill's enactment, the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with other federal agencies, will create a strategy to provide appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment for wildland firefighters and their support staff when smoke exposure exceeds set limits.
Consultation for standards: The Secretary will consult with NIOSH and OSHA to determine suitable respiratory protection for scenarios where smoke exposure is high.
Mandatory use of equipment: Wildland firefighters and support staff will be required to use the determined respiratory protection in high smoke exposure situations.

Review of Standards

The bill also mandates ongoing reviews of safety standards:

The Secretary must regularly consult with NIOSH and OSHA to evaluate and update personal protective equipment standards and develop limits for wildfire smoke exposure.
Incorporation of the most recent safety standards, specifically referencing the NFPA 1984 standard on respirators for wildland firefighting, is required as needed to ensure ongoing adequacy of safety measures.

Funding

The bill authorizes necessary appropriations for the Secretary to implement the outlined measures and safety improvements for wildland firefighters each fiscal year.