Senator Steve Daines met with local firefighters in Bozeman to announce steps he’ll take to represent the needs of professional and volunteer firefighters across the state. Daines explained how he will address safety for first responders.
“We need to honor these men and women, these firefighters, support them and make sure they are taken care of,” said Daines.
Senator Steve Daines announced in Bozeman that he will be joining the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. This is one of the largest caucuses in Congress and members work to support first responders in their Congressional district.
“In Montana we have so many volunteer firefighting operations, and the firefighter caucus supports all of those fire fighters, so it’s particularly important to me, someone who represents a state like Montana, that has a real rural component to it,” said Daines.
Going forward Senator Steve Daines will be representing and fighting for the needs of firefighters all across Montana
“So to have our elected officials be interested in what we’re doing to change the fire service here in Montana, it really gives us the support we need to grow and match the demands of our community,” said Bozeman Fire Chief, Josh Waldo.
One of the initiatives Senator Daines hopes to push forward for local firefighters is a national database that will help determine health hazards of the job.
“So we want to make sure we’ve got the best research to know what affect that might have on our fire fighters health. They are out there risking their life for us, we want to make sure they have the resources and we are protecting them with the right kind of gear and practices because they do so much for us,” said Daines.
Senator Daines also hopes to find ways to retain firefighters within the community whether that be through grants or support.
“It’s just nice to have an advocate or a voice for the fire service on the national level, whether that’s funding, training, equipment needs, or health needs. To have someone from Bozeman who’s out there looking out for our best interests in Washington is a great thing to know we’ve got,” said Waldo.
Fire officials from both Bozeman and Butte were present for Senator Daines announcement.