📌ACT NOW to Join Fire Service Day on the Hill (March 18, 2026): Mark your calendar for Fire Service Day on the Hill on March 18, 2026, and make your voice heard on Capitol Hill! This advocacy day gives fire service professionals the opportunity to meet with members of Congress to share stories and influence federal policy affecting the fire and emergency services. Learn how to schedule and prepare for your meetings at cfsi.org/hillday/.
➡️Get your meeting requests in today! The sooner you request them for March 18, the better off you will be.
📌 Government Shutdown Watch.With certain government funding scheduled to expire on January 30, Congress will need to act this month to fund the government. Three bills have been signed into law, a further three have passed Congress, and two more have passed the House and are expected to be taken up by the Senate. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, however, is an annual challenge and this year is no different. The House is currently working on a strategy to get the remaining four appropriations bills, including the DHS bill, passed and sent to the Senate.
📌 Interior to Launch U.S. Wildland Fire Service: On January 12, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced it had appointed Chief Brian Fennessy to oversee the creation of a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The goal is to “streamline decision-making, improve operational efficiency and enhance the Department’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to wildfire threats.” In a related move, the FY2026 Interior Appropriations bill contains report language calling for a study on the feasibility of consolidation of wildfire programs beyond Interior (including the Forest Service, for example).
📌Sixth Needs Assessment Survey Now Open: The Sixth Needs Assessment Survey of the U.S. Fire Service is open from October 31, 2025–February 15, 2026. All fire departments are strongly encouraged to participate—higher response rates improve national and state-level accuracy. Departments that did not receive the survey can contact [email protected] (include department name, state, and ZIP) or call NFPA at 1-800-343-8890. Results will be published in the second half of 2026. Click here to complete the survey.
⭐Data from this survey helps the national organizations make the case in Washington, DC for supporting the fire and emergency services!
📌REMINDER: NFIRS Sunsets on January 31, 2026: NFIRS will sunset in February 2026 and will no longer be available. Learn about key points and dates in the NFIRS sunset and transition to NERIS for fire-based, all-hazards incident reporting and analytics.
Here’s how you can take action today:
✅ If your members of Congress are not on the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, ask them to join!
Stay engaged. Stay informed. And together, let’s keep making a difference.