Ensuring Casualty Assistance for our Firefighters Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4671 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4671 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 23, 2025 Mr. Harder of California (for himself and Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To direct the Secretary of the Interior to develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Casualty Assistance for our Firefighters Act''. SEC. 2. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT CASUALTY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. (a) Development of Program.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program (referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to provide assistance to the next-of-kin of-- (1) firefighters who, while in the line of duty, suffer illness or are critically injured or killed; and (2) wildland fire support personnel critically injured or killed in the line of duty. (b) Aspects of Program.--The Program shall address the following: (1) The initial and any subsequent notifications to the next-of-kin of a firefighter or wildland fire support personnel who-- (A) is killed in the line of duty; or (B) requires hospitalization or treatment at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or illness. (2) The reimbursement of next-of-kin for expenses associated with travel to visit a firefighter or wildland fire