Golden, Pingree Support Bill to Help Firefighters with Work-Related Injuries or Illnesses

Congressman Jared Golden and Congresswomen Chellie Pingree voted last week to pass the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act through the House of Representatives. This bipartisan legislation, which was cosponsored by both Congress members, would ensure that federally-employed firefighters receive the same access to job-related disability and retirement benefits as their peers who are state, county, or municipal firefighters. 

“Firefighting is a dangerous job and a career of public service, no matter what department they work for,” said Golden in a statement. “When firefighters develop long-term illnesses from their work, we should have their backs. If we can pass this bipartisan bill into law, it will ensure that more firefighters can access affordable care and other resources to address injuries and illnesses they picked up while protecting their fellow citizens and their homes. I am proud to stand with firefighters across Maine in support of this legislation and I applaud the Professional Firefighters of Maine for their work to advocate on this issue.”

Currently, to qualify for disability retirement, federal firefighters who suffer from an occupational illness must specify the precise exposure that caused their illness. This burden of proof is extraordinarily difficult for firefighters to meet given the wide variety of conditions and environments in which they work. This bill would create the presumption that federal firefighters who become disabled by certain serious diseases, such as heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers, and other infectious diseases, contracted the illness on the job, allowing firefighters to qualify for disability retirement.

PFFMaine represents federal firefighters at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station in Cutler. The bill is supported by Professional Firefighters of Maine, the International Association of Federal Firefighters (IAFF) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)  

Last year, Golden voted today to pass the PFAS Action Act, bipartisan legislation that would help protect firefighters from exposure to dangerous "forever chemicals," or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In 2019, Golden joined Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) to introduce bipartisan legislation to help improve infrastructure at America's fire stations. Golden is a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.