(SACRAMENTO) -- California’s civilian federal firefighters risk everything to protect our wild lands from devastating fire, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with state and local first responders. As we learned when five US Forest Service firefighters died in the Esperanza Fire, they also bear the same losses.

Giving these men and women and their families the respect they deserve is at the heart of legislation introduced this week by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge).

The California Fallen Federal Firefighter Survivor Assistance Act of 2007 – AB 384 – guarantees that all California firefighters – federal as well as local and state – have access to survivor benefits provided to state and local firefighters under existing law.

“A firefighter is a firefighter, no matter the color of the uniform,” said Assemblyman Portantino. “Fallen federal firefighters deserve the same consideration we give our state and local survivor families.”

Specifically, AB 384 guarantees that spouses and surviving children are able to receive fee waivers from California’s public colleges and universities – University of California, California State University and community colleges. It also insures that uninsured spouses and children have access to a state-funded program to help them gain medical and dental benefits.

The need for this common-sense legislation was revealed after last fall’s devastating loss in the Esperanza Fire. Five firefighters – Captain Mark Loutzenhiser and Engine Operators Jess McLean, Jason McKay, Daniel Hoover-Najera and Pablo Cerda – died after their engine was burned during the wind-whipped 24,000 acre blaze. All five were California residents, working on Engine 57 at the San Jacinto Ranger Station in Idyllwild.

“The courageous men of US Forest Service Engine 57 were Californians, fighting on California land, and they died protecting the home of a fellow Californian,” said Lou Paulson, president of California Professional Firefighters, the sponsors of AB 384. “Securing these survivor benefits is the least we can do for those who sacrifice so much.”

The fallen firefighter family fee waivers for UC, CSU and community colleges were first enacted in 1999. The health insurance program was approved in 2004. In each case, the benefits were intended to apply to all firefighters. However, in the intervening years, these programs have been administered in a way that excludes the survivors of fallen federal firefighters who lived, worked, and gave their lives within the state.

“When a firefighter falls in the line of duty, their families not only face the sudden loss of a loved one, but a potentially crushing financial burden,” said Michael Massone, a civilian firefighter with Federal Fire San Diego.
“We owe it to the memory of those who have fallen to make sure their families get what they’re entitled to receive, without the bureaucracy getting in the way.”

AB 384 has bipartisan support and is coauthored by 22 members of the California Legislature.