Sarbanes Reaffirms Bipartisan, Bicameral Support for Federal Firefighters

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to reintroduce the Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act, a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would allow federal firefighters to trade shifts without affecting pay or using annual leave.

The bill would correct a longstanding disparity between federal firefighters and their counterparts at the state, local and municipal levels – who have been able to trade shifts since 1985. Allowing firefighters to engage in trade time helps firehouses maintain staffing requirements, enhances their ability to keep communities safe and enables firefighters to meet personal obligations without having to use annual leave.

“America’s federal firefighters work tirelessly and gallantly to keep our communities safe – especially as we continue to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Sarbanes, who for a decade has led the U.S. House of Representatives in advancing the Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act. “We must provide the women and men in our federal firefighter corps with the same work-life balance and paycheck flexibility that state and local firefighters enjoy. They deserve nothing less.”

“This important legislation gives federal firefighters the ability to better manage their challenging schedules to create better work-life balances. It creates an opportunity that many non-federal fire departments already utilize successfully – with no appreciable cost to the employer,” said International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold A. Schaitberger. “The IAFF appreciates Representative Sarbanes along with Senators Van Hollen, Carper, Collins and Tester's bipartisan work introducing the Federal Fire Fighters Flexibility and Fairness Act.”

Maryland is home to many professional federal firefighters, including first responders at the U.S. Naval Academy, Fort Meade, Fort Detrick and the Forest Glen Annex, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institutes of Health.

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