[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 1 (Thursday, January 4, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 153. A bill to provide for the monitoring of the long-term medical 
health of firefighters who responded to emergencies in certain disaster 
areas and for the treatment of such firefighters; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I introduce the Healthy Firefighters Act, 
an important bill that would protect the firefighters who respond to 
emergencies. The bill is inspired by the brave firefighters from the 
San Jacinto Ranger District, who responded to the Esperanza Incident 
wildfire in southern California in October of 2006.
  We rely on firefighters to protect us when disaster strikes, and they 
selflessly place themselves in danger to provide that protection. One 
danger they face in the course of performing their duties is exposure 
to toxins--including fine particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur, 
formaldehyde, mercury, heavy metals, and benzene--that can have a 
significant negative effect on their health.
  We owe it to this country's brave firefighters to minimize their 
sacrifice for our safety, to the greatest extent possible. My bill 
would require the U.S. Fire Administrator to contract with a medical 
research university to conduct long-term medical health monitoring of 
firefighters who responded to emergencies in any areas declared a 
disaster by the Federal Government, and provide healthcare for those 
firefighters who suffer health problems as a consequence of their work 
in those disaster areas. Pulmonary illness, neurological damage, and 
cardiovascular damage are examples of illnesses for which firefighters 
would be monitored and treated under this bill.
  I urge my colleagues to consider and pass this bill to benefit 
firefighters, who are among this country's most heroic citizens.
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