Heitkamp & ND Firefighters' Association Head Tackle Challenges in Maintaining a Strong Volunteer Firefighting Force in ND

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today met with the head of North Dakota Firefighters' Association to discuss next steps in finding solutions for training and recruitment issues related to volunteer firefighters across the state.

Just two weeks after bringing U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to North Dakota to meet in person with volunteer firefighters in Larimore about the challenges they face in recruiting, training, and retaining volunteer firefighters -- which make up 96 percent of the state's first responders -- Heitkamp sat down with North Dakota Firefighters' Association Executive Director Renee Loh to discuss steps federal agencies like Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within DHS can take next to connect first responders with the resources they need, and to improve their communications with emergency responders across rural America to keep their forces active and strong.

Heitkamp and Loh discussed ways to build on their meeting with Mayorkas, and how to bolster efforts already underway to make sure rural communities can better access available resources. Since the launch of her Strong & Safe Communities Initiative last fall, Heitkamp has been working with community and federal leaders to address North Dakota's emerging safety challenges, like making sure North Dakota communities have a capable first response force. Just last month, the Senate adopted in its 2016 budget Heitkamp's amendment to make sure first responders dealing with crude oil train derailments get the tools they need by planning for a public-private FEMA panel to review training and best practices. The panel, which Heitkamp's Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act would create, unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in March -- just about one week after she reintroduced the bill in the new Congress.

"As the daughter of a volunteer firefighter growing up in Mantador, I know how much our volunteer firefighters mean to our rural communities. But in many of our small towns, it's becoming more and more difficult for forces to recruit and retain these critical emergency response teams," said Heitkamp. "That's why I brought Deputy Secretary Mayorkas to North Dakota to hear directly from firefighters about how our federal agencies can work hand-in-hand with folks on the ground to make sure they get the resources they need to keep our communities safe. Director Loh joined for that discussion and today she and I were able to continue to talk about ways to bolster efforts support for first responders -- including through my RESPONSE Act and my Strong & Safe Communities Initiative. By working together, our federal and local safety officials can make sure our towns -- bustling and rural -- remain strong and safe for years to come."

"Volunteer emergency response forces put their lives on the line to keep our families safe, but in rural towns across North Dakota, keeping a strong and active force is becoming increasingly difficult," said Loh. "Senator Heitkamp has not wasted any time in directly addressing problems facing our volunteer firefighters, bringing top federal officials to talk in person with our forces to make sure every rural town in North Dakota gets the resources our communities need to stay safe. I'm proud to support Senator Heitkamp's efforts, such as her RESPONSE Act, to make sure first responders dealing with unique challenges like crude oil train derailments, have the tools they need to deal with such emergencies. I'll keep working with Senator Heitkamp to keep every town in North Dakota secure with the robust firefighter force they need to thrive."

Since the derailment of a crude oil train near Casselton in December 2013, Heitkamp has worked to make sure first responders have the necessary resources and training to protect North Dakota's families and communities. In March 2014, Heitkamp brought Casselton Fire Chief Tim McLean to testifyat a Homeland Security Committee hearing she chaired to discuss his team's experience responding to the Casselton derailment. At the hearing, McLean and Heitkamp emphasized the need for federal homeland security investments in emergency training that were critical to his team in responding to the accident in Casselton.

Heitkamp has consistently pushed for better resources and tools for North Dakota's fire departments. Last summer, she announced significant federal funds through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for new turnout gear, self-contained breathing apparatuses, and training for the Park River Volunteer Fire Department's personnel, and for a new air foam unit for Mandan Rural Fire Protection District's fire truck.

Last fall, Heitkamp launched her Strong & Safe Communities Initiative to address emerging challenges facing North Dakota as a result of the state's energy boom by bringing a greater focus to keeping communities strong and families safe in their homes. Specifically, Heitkamp is leading a Strong & Safe Communities Task Force comprised of North Dakotans from across the state who have strong understandings of many of the new safety challenges the state faces -- such as increases in the transportation of crude by rail, drug-related crimes, human trafficking, infrastructure stress, as well as other issues. This task force includes work to fortify emergency response and safety workers--like the 9,000 firefighters throughout North Dakota--by building an infrastructure that makes sure resources are growing apace with the increasing demand for their service.

Source