On February 25, 2024, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register which would update the existing fire brigade standard, 1910.156. The updated standard would create new training and medical evaluation requirements for fire departments, EMS entities, and hazmat responders. While this proposed Emergency Response standard is generally good for the safety and well-being of emergency responders, many of its elements would require a substantial increase in annual medical examination expenses for both private and municipal departments that provide these services.
The proposed standard is still in the early stages of development at the federal level. We believe that members should be aware of the potential impacts of the standard as proposed. The public comment period is open now and will close on June 21, 2024. We encourage VLCT members to review the proposed standard and provide OSHA with comments if appropriate.
- The National League of Cities has written a very clear explanation of the standard and its potential effects in Navigating OSHA’s Proposed Emergency Response Rule: Financial Challenges for Local Governments & Their Fire Departments.
- The proposed standard and public commentary resources can be found here on the OSHA website.
- Here is the proposed standard excerpted from the Federal Register (without preamble).
Also know that the proposed language would have to become a final federal standard before it would be adopted by Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) and take official effect in Vermont.