July 23, 2025
Mr. Harder of California (for himself and Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Casualty Assistance for our Firefighters Act
.
Sec. 2. Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program
(a) Development of Program
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program (referred to in this section as the Program
) to provide assistance to the next-of-kin of—
(1)
firefighters who, while in the line of duty, suffer illness or are critically injured or killed; and
(2)
wildland fire support personnel critically injured or killed in the line of duty.
(b) Aspects of Program
The Program shall address the following:
(1)
The initial and any subsequent notifications to the next-of-kin of a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel who—
(A)
is killed in the line of duty; or
(B)
requires hospitalization or treatment at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or illness.
(2)
The reimbursement of next-of-kin for expenses associated with travel to visit a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel who—
(A)
is killed in the line of duty; or
(B)
requires hospitalization or treatment at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or illness.
(3)
The qualifications, assignment, training, duties, supervision, and accountability for the performance of casualty assistance responsibilities.
(4)
The relief or transfer of casualty assistance officers, including notification to survivors of critical injury or illness in the line of duty and next-of-kin of the reassignment of such officers to other duties.
(5)
Centralized, short-term and long-term case management procedures for casualty assistance, including rapid access by survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel and casualty assistance officers to expert case managers and counselors.
(6)
The provision, through a computer accessible website and other means and at no cost to survivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel, of personalized, integrated information on the benefits and financial assistance available to such survivors from the Federal Government.
(7)
The provision of information to survivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel on mechanisms for registering complaints about, or requests for, additional assistance related to casualty assistance.
(8)
Liaison with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration to ensure prompt and accurate resolution of issues relating to benefits administered by those agencies for survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel.
(9)
Data collection, in consultation with the United States Fire Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, regarding the incidence and quality of casualty assistance provided to survivors of firefighters or wildland fire support personnel.
(c) Line of Duty Death benefits
The Program shall not affect existing authorities for Line of Duty Death benefits for Federal firefighters and wildland fire support personnel.
(d) Next-of-Kin defined
In this section, the term next-of-kin means person or persons in the highest category of priority as determined by the following list (categories appear in descending order of priority):
(1)
Surviving legal spouse.
(2)
Children (whether by current or prior marriage) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by age.
(3)
Father or mother, unless by court order custody has been vested in another (adoptive parent takes precedence over natural parent).
(4)
Siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or older in descending precedence by age.
(5)
Grandfather or grandmother.
(6)
Any other relative (precedence to be determined in accordance with the civil law of descent of the deceased former member’s State of domicile at time of death).