Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025

This bill, known as the "Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act of 2025," aims to enhance the safety of wildland firefighters and supporting staff by directing the Secretary of Agriculture to establish improved safety standards. It specifically addresses exposure to wildfire smoke, defining "covered permissible exposure limits" based on existing National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines. The legislation applies to wildland firefighters under the direction of both the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior. Within one year of enactment, the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with other federal agencies, must develop a strategy to ensure the commercial availability of appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE). This PPE will be required for use by wildland firefighters and supporting staff in settings where smoke exposure surpasses the established permissible limits. The Secretary, in consultation with NIOSH and OSHA, will determine the specific appropriate respiratory PPE. Furthermore, the bill mandates a periodic review of these safety standards and the determined respiratory PPE. The Secretary of Agriculture is also tasked with developing an appropriate permissible exposure limit or occupational exposure limit specifically for wildfire smoke if current limits are deemed unsuitable for wildland firefighting environments. Finally, the most recent edition of NFPA 1984, "Standard on Respirators for Wildland Fire-Fighting and Wildland Urban Interface Operations," must be incorporated into these safety standards.