WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) joined Congressman Josh Harder (CA-09) in introducing the Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025. This bipartisan bill strengthens federal coordination, firefighter training, and equipment readiness to help our first responders better prepare for wildfires.

“Fires are getting worse every year, and it’s important to make sure our firefighters can respond effectively,” said Congressman Valadao. “This bipartisan bill makes sure local and federal agencies are working together, invests in gear and mental support for our firefighters, and strengthens overall wildfire response.”

“Wildfire policy is so behind that local fire fighters are being left without the tools, training, and backup they need to keep themselves and our communities safe from megafires,” said Rep. Harder. “We need a modern wildfire response system that matches the speed and scale of today’s megafires by equipping every fire fighter with the resources to fight fires faster and smarter. That’s exactly what this landmark bipartisan bill delivers, and we need to get it signed into law ASAP.”

The Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), which represents nearly 350,000 members across the U.S. and Canada, including over 40,000 members in California: 

“Wildfires are worsening and devastating more urban areas each year. Yet federal policy has largely ignored local fire fighters and forces them to respond with virtually no training and often the wrong type of equipment,” said IAFF General President Edward A. Kelly. “It’s time for Congress to make sure all fire fighters have the right training, equipment, and readiness to protect their communities from wildfires. The IAFF applauds Reps. Harder and Valadao for leading this change and ensuring fire fighters can be both safe and effective when responding to wildfires.”

The Wildfire Emergency Preparedness Act of 2025:

• Establishes a wildfire training curriculum to prepare firefighters to respond to wildfires.
• Creates a new office within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) focused on wildfire coordination between the U.S. Forest Service and state and local firefighters.
• Requires the U.S. Fire Administrator to assess current training gaps for structural firefighters responding to wildfires.
• Authorizes federal agencies to reimburse the Department of Defense (DoD) for wildfire deployment costs and directs DoD to deploy available firefighters to assist even without immediate reimbursement.
• Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to study respiratory protection and PFAs exposure risks for wildfire firefighters.
• Requires FEMA to embed mental health practitioners within Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams.
• Authorizes funds for wildfire-related protective gear and firefighter training programs.

Read the full bill here.

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