[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CARPER (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 1025. A bill to prohibit termination of employment of volunteer 
firefighters and emergency medical personnel responding to emergencies 
or major disasters, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Carper in 
introducing a bill that would provide reasonable job protections for 
our Nation's volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel who 
save thousands of lives across this country every year.
  This bill is a matter of simple fairness. It recognizes that 
volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel not only serve 
their own towns and offer mutual assistance to other communities on a 
day-to-day basis, but also that they are a key component in State and 
Federal plans for responding to catastrophic natural disasters and 
terrorist attacks.
  Across the Nation, our emergency planning relies on the ready 
availability of these brave first responders. Indeed, volunteers are 
absolutely critical to mounting a response to disasters, both large and 
small. My home State of Maine, for example, has slightly more than 
10,000 firefighters in 492 departments. Because Maine is a mostly rural 
State, fully 88 percent of those firefighters are volunteers.
  Yet, even if they are called up in a major disaster or a 
Presidentially declared emergency under the Stafford Act, these 
volunteers have no official protection for their jobs while they are 
answering the call to duty.
  We should protect volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who put 
their lives on the line.
  The current lack of job protection is troubling. If large numbers of 
volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel were terminated or demoted 
after being called away to a disaster or a series of disasters, 
recruitment and retention of volunteers could be devastated.
  The Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act would 
correct the injustice and mitigate the danger in a measured and 
responsible way. It would protect the volunteer first responders 
against termination or demotion by employers if they are called upon to 
respond to a Presidentially declared emergency or a major disaster for 
up to 14 work days.
  Most employers are strong supporters of our volunteer firefighters 
and EMS personnel, and this bill imposes no unreasonable burdens on 
employers. They are not obligated to pay the volunteers during their 
absence, and they are entitled to receive official documentation that 
an absent employee was in fact summoned to and served in a disaster 
response.
  Finally, I would note that the bill would facilitate the work of 
emergency managers. Having this job protection in force would allow 
them to make operational and contingency plans with greater confidence, 
knowing that volunteer responders would not be forced to withdraw in 
short order for fear of losing their jobs.
  By extending some peace of mind to these brave men and women, we can 
strengthen the protection and lifesaving response that they provide to 
many millions of Americans. I believe this bill merits the support of 
every Senator, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor.
                                 ______