As Labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer will put firefighters first

The leading cause of death among firefighters might surprise you.

Most people assume it’s accidents on the fire ground (that’s actually number three) or cardiovascular events (number two). But the greatest danger we face is occupational cancer. 

Research from the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety shows that firefighters have a 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population. This isn’t just a threat to our health — it’s a real, immediate danger to the safety of the communities we are sworn to protect.

Politicians from both parties have pushed the same tired talking points about public safety for decades. But not former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.). President Trump’s nominee for Labor secretary has a record of prioritizing the common sense solutions to protect firefighters and build a stronger nation.

Chavez-DeRemer has long championed the health and well-being of America’s firefighters and emergency medical workers. In Congress, she put people over politics and reached across the aisle as a lead co-sponsor of the PFAS Alternatives Act. This critical legislation aims to develop next-generation, PFAS-free protective gear for firefighters. Our job is dangerous enough without intentionally adding carcinogens to our gear. The bill — which also earned industry support — would place firefighters at the center of this research. After all, the very gear we rely on for our survival should be designed by and for the user.

Chavez-DeRemer has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with first responders on countless other issues, from expanding death benefits and public safety funding to repealing harmful Social Security cuts for retired public servants. Like President Trump, Chavez-DeRemer is proud to back our hometown heroes.

As Labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer will be poised to finalize the Emergency Response Standard — the first federal improvement to firefighter workplace safety in over 40 years. We need look no further than the California wildfires to understand the importance of ensuring our cities and towns have enough properly trained, equipped and healthy firefighters to do the job. The Emergency Response Standard will prevent us from accepting otherwise avoidable tragedies, securing Trump’s goal of making America stronger and more prosperous.

As a former city councilor, mayor and member of Congress, Chavez-DeRemer understands that public safety challenges can have far-reaching consequences. She has fought to give federal wildland firefighters the pay and support they deserve. As cities and towns nationwide battle the fentanyl epidemic, she has pushed for stronger enforcement to curb the drug’s flow into our country and expanded resources for firefighters and paramedics responding to opioid overdoses. Chavez-DeRemer recognizes that these crises threaten the American public, strain local resources and jeopardize our economy if left unchecked.

Most importantly, Chavez-DeRemer isn’t a career politician. She and her husband built a successful small business from the ground up. She understands the demands and pressures of running a company. This real-life experience gives her the perspective needed to balance the priorities of both business and labor — growing wages and bottom lines. She knows that true collaboration between employers and workers is the way to implement President Trump’s bold vision to defend America’s middle class.

President Trump won this election because he pledged to put America first. Nominating Chavez-DeRemer shows he is serious about delivering on that promise. I’ve seen firsthand how she isn’t afraid to challenge the establishment or let politics get in the way of doing what’s right. Chavez-DeRemer says what she means and means what she says, and that’s exactly the kind of person we need leading the Department of Labor. I have no doubt she’ll have the backs of firefighters and all American workers while advancing President Trump’s vision for our economy.

Edward A. Kelly is general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, the labor union for fire fighters, emergency medical workers and rescue workers in the United States and Canada.