Congress funds fire departments to prevent senior falls and speed emergency response.

What it does

This bill authorizes FEMA to award three-year grants to fire departments (career, combination, and volunteer) to fund fall-prevention programs for seniors and faster emergency response capabilities. Eligible uses include home safety modifications, emergency access devices, staff for community paramedicine programs, smoke detectors, medication reconciliation, and referrals to fall-prevention resources. The federal government covers 75% of costs in years one and two, declining to 35% in year three, with a sunset in 2036.

Why we flagged it

The bill is a straightforward federal grant authorization for fire departments to implement evidence-based fall prevention and emergency response programs targeting older adults. It is structured as a competitive grant program with clear eligibility criteria, cost-sharing requirements, and performance evaluation mechanisms.

What the text implies

• Grants incentivize fire departments to adopt community paramedicine models, potentially shifting fire service culture toward preventive health intervention beyond traditional emergency response.
• Cost-sharing requirements (25–65% local match) may disadvantage rural and economically distressed fire departments, concentrating benefits in wealthier jurisdictions unless hardship waivers are generously applied.
• Performance metrics and audit access (subsection i) create ongoing federal oversight of local fire department operations, expanding FEMA's administrative footprint in local emergency services.
• Sunset clause (2036) creates uncertainty for long-term program sustainability; departments may struggle to maintain programs after federal funding ends if local budgets cannot absorb full costs.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Older adults gain concrete protections: home safety modifications, emergency access systems, and faster response times to in-home emergencies. Fire departments receive federal support to expand community paramedicine and fall-prevention services without supplanting existing local funding. The cost-sharing requirement (25–65% local match) ensures local commitment and sustainability.

Who stands to gain

• fire departments (career, combination, volunteer)
• community paramedicine service providers
• home safety equipment and installation contractors

Named in the bill

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), fire departments (career, combination, volunteer), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tribal governments, state and local governments

Where it stands

12 cosponsors: 6 Democrats, 6 Republicans.

• Sep 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $5,496,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 96 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Lois Frankel, the sponsor, reported $555,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• AARP — $5,300,000 on 1 filing
• International Association of Fire Fighters — $196,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.