OSHA Proposed Emergency Response Standard

About the Proposed Standard

On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modernize the agency’s “Fire Brigades” standard with a proposed new “Emergency Response Standard.” This NPRM’s publication triggered the beginning of a public comment period that concluded on July 22, 2024. An informal public hearing was then held from November 12 to December 4, 2024. A second public comment period is now open.

While many of the proposed provisions in the Emergency Response Standard would be helpful and improve the safety of emergency responders, many of the new requirements would be very burdensome, and in many cases impossible, for volunteer fire and emergency service departments to comply with. If the standard is adopted in its current form, many departments would be forced to shut their doors or else operate outside of the federal standard, leaving themselves open to fines, citations, and huge civil liability exposure.

This page contains resources to help you better understand the standard and what you can do. Sign up to the NVFC’s email list to stay informed of updates.

View and Understand the Proposed Standard

Learn More About OSHA’s Public Hearing

Congressional Action

Watch a Webinar

NVFC Roundtable Talk: Proposed OSHA Standard Update and Working with Local Government (May 23) – Learn how volunteer departments can collaborate with their local government to express concerns to OSHA regarding the proposed standard.

NVFC Webinar: Proposed OSHA Standard and What it Means for Volunteer Departments (May 16) – Learn the biggest concerns with the proposed standard and best practices for submitting a comment.

NVFC Webinar: Update from OSHA on the Proposed Emergency Response Standard (May 8) – Hear from OSHA representatives as they discuss how volunteers would be impacted by the proposed standard and what you can do to make your voice heard.

NVFC Roundtable Talk: Proposed OSHA Emergency Response Standard Update and What It Means for Volunteer Fire Departments (March 17) – This discussion highlights the biggest concerns with the proposed standard and best practices for departments to submit a comment to OSHA.

OSHA Webinar on Emergency Response Rule (January 31) – This webinar from the OSHA Training Institute  Education Center reviews the proposed standard and how it is different from the previous Fire Brigades Standard.

USFA and OSHA Presentation on the Emergency Response Notice of Proposed Ruling (March 21) – Learn about the history of the Fire Brigades Standard and proposed Emergency Response Standard, the process for submitting comments, and the proposed timeline.

OSHA Plan States Proposed 1910.156 Update – Get an overview of the proposed standard and how it will apply to OSHA plan states.

EMS and the Proposed Emergency OSHA Response Rule (May 2) – Learn how the proposed Emergency Response Standard will impact EMS agencies.

Additional Resources