{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F2840A00-E026-4443-95E7-949C16A59FC6", "Heitkamp Helps Introduce Bill to Help Recruit More Volunteer Firefighters & EMS Personnel by Expanding Education Incentives", "2017-12-07", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "ND Fire Chiefs Have Looked for Ways to Increase First Responder Recruitment and Retainment; 96 Percent of ND\u2019s Firefighting Forces are Volunteer \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today helped introduce a bill that would incentivize more young men and women in rural America to become volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders by giving them access to a student loan forgiveness program for public servants. \r\nAcross North Dakota, 96 percent of firefighting forces are volunteer. But according to North Dakota Firefighter\u2019s Association Training Director Robert Knuth, those numbers are dwindling as the average age of a volunteer increases and the average number of years each volunteer serves decreases. \r\nThe bill would help encourage more men and women in rural America to volunteer as firefighters by expanding student loan forgiveness to eligible volunteer first responders by allowing them to qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program through the U.S. Department of Education. PSLF provides loan forgiveness for the balance of any principal and interest that remains due after 120 full payments on federal loans. Under this bill, individuals would need to be both certified as a first responder as well as a volunteer in a community public safety organization to qualify for the PSLF program. \r\n\u201cVolunteer first responders sacrifice a great deal to protect our communities. They have our back, so we should have theirs,\u201d Heitkamp said. \u201cThis legislation will help make sure our fire departments and EMS teams are adequately staffed by encouraging more men and women to volunteer for these needed roles across our state. A program already exists to help public servants pay off their student loans, so it\u2019s just common sense that firefighters and first responders should qualify as well. By making it easier for departments to recruit and retain volunteers, we can help our first responders focus on keeping our communities strong and safe.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \r\nHeitkamp has repeatedly heard North Dakota fire chiefs describe the challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteer first responders, especially in rural areas. Several fire chiefs and firefighter associations in North Dakota have supported the bill, including the North Dakota Firefighter\u2019s Association and the North Dakota Fire Chief\u2019s Association. Click here for a list of quotations from first responders and fire chiefs in North Dakota who support the bill.\r\n\u201cThe vast majority of North Dakota\u2019s firefighters are volunteers, and they seldom ask for any form of recognition for all their hard work to keep our homes and businesses safe. I think it\u2019s a shame that they don\u2019t currently qualify for something as commonsense as federal student loan forgiveness. That\u2019s why the North Dakota Firefighter\u2019s Association Executive Board appreciates the work Senator Heitkamp has done in helping introducing this bill,\u201d said North Dakota Firefighter\u2019s Association Training Director Robert B. Knuth. \u201cHer Volunteer First Responder Loan Forgiveness Act seems like part of the solution to boosting rural volunteer firefighter and EMT recruitment, and I hope the loan forgiveness aspect will incentivize volunteers to stay committed for long periods of time. It\u2019s not always easy for firefighters to settle down in rural towns, give hours of their time to rigorous training, or be away from their families in sometimes life-threatening situations\u2014I\u2019m glad our volunteer first responders are being addressed through genuinely beneficial legislation.\u201d\r\nThe Volunteer First Responder Loan Forgiveness Act is being led by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), Heitkamp, and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). This bill is also supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Volunteer Fire Council, Sergeants Benevolent Association, and Major County Sheriffs of America.\r\nThis legislation builds on Heitkamp\u2019s ongoing efforts to help North Dakota\u2019s first responders find affordable housing and education. In September, Heitkamp introduced the Volunteer First Responder Housing Act \u00a0to promote housing opportunities for volunteer first responders.\u00a0In 2015, Heitkamp brought the number two top official of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to North Dakota to discuss training and recruitment for volunteer firefighters and how the federal government can better respond to the needs of rural first responders.\r\nThis effort also builds on Heitkamp\u2019s Strong and Safe Communities Initiative, which she launched in 2014. The initiative aims to address some of the emerging challenges facing the state by bringing focus to ideas that keep North Dakota\u2019s communities strong and families safe in their homes. She issued her Strong & Safe Communities Report in August of 2016. Among the goals of her initiative includes making sure North Dakota communities are supported by well-trained and robust emergency responder forces, and that they are equipped with the necessary tools and resources. Last year, Heitkamp\u2019s Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act was signed into law. This bill\u2014 which was introduced by Heitkamp following the derailment of a crude oil train in Casselton in December 2013\u2014 helps first responders get the quality training and access to appropriate resources and effective communications they need to handle potential hazardous incidents. \r\nIn addition to her RESPONSE Act, Heitkamp has worked to improve first responder safety by helping secure $5 million in federal funding to support a one-of-a-kind federal training facility in Pueblo, Colorado that prepares first responders to handle hazmat incidents on the rails, such as crude oil train derailments. At the end of 2016, nearly 310 North Dakota first responders had participated in training at the Pueblo facility \u2013 more than 130 of which were trained to specifically handle crude-by-rail incidents. She has also worked closely with federal, state, and local officials, including bringing then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to North Dakota and holding a U.S. Senate hearing on first responder safety.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nClick here for video and audio.\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F2840A00-E026-4443-95E7-949C16A59FC6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2690371368080378, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}