US lawmakers put EV fires, drone threats and wildfire safety at center of the 2026 Congressional Agenda
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Lawmakers returning to Washington for the second session of the 119th Congress opened 2026 with a burst of fire‑service‑focused legislation, targeting electric‑vehicle battery hazards, wildfire smoke exposure, and drone incursions over active fire zones.
Freshman members led the early push, signaling that firefighter safety and modern emergency‑response challenges will be central themes in this election‑year session.
New Year, New Legislative Priorities
A FireRescue1 report published on Jan. 13, 2026, outlined how three first‑term lawmakers immediately introduced bills aimed at strengthening national fire‑service policy. Their proposals reflect growing concern over EV battery fires, wildfire smoke exposure, and drone interference—all of which have escalated in recent years.
According to DroneXL.co, the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act (H.R. 6618) looks like a simple study request on the surface, but buried in its language is a roadmap for giving firefighters and federal agencies the same drone-killing capabilities that local police just received for sporting events.
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Battery Safety Act of 2026
Rep. George Latimer (D‑N.Y.) introduced legislation mandating federal safety standards for electric and hybrid vehicles, including:
- Mechanical door‑release requirements to prevent entrapment during EV fires
- National best‑practice sharing for suppressing thermal‑runaway events
- A federal health‑risk study on firefighter exposure to EV‑related toxins
Latimer argued that updated standards would ensure “firefighters have the most current knowledge and protection to handle the latest in automotive technology”.
Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act
Rep. George Whitesides (D‑Calif.) marked the anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires by highlighting the toll of smoke exposure on firefighters. His bipartisan bill would require federal land agencies to implement:
- Respiratory‑protection protocols during dangerous smoke conditions
- Exposure thresholds tied to wildfire smoke toxicity
Whitesides noted that firefighter life expectancy is nearly 10 years shorter than the national average, calling the disparity “unacceptable”.
This legislative push aligns with broader federal efforts to modernize wildfire forecasting and response, including the Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025, which passed the Senate in late 2025 and aims to improve national wildfire‑weather services.
Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act
Rep. Janelle Bynum (D‑Ore.) introduced a bipartisan bill requiring the FAA to study drone incursions over wildfire zones—an increasingly disruptive hazard.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, at least 34 drone incursions were recorded by September 2025, grounding aircraft in at least seven cases. A separate analysis by DroneXL reported that the bill (H.R. 6618) could pave the way for counter‑drone authority at wildfire incidents, similar to powers recently granted to police at stadiums.
Bynum cited the Flat Fire in Oregon—where a recreational drone grounded firefighting aircraft for 26 minutes during a critical containment window—as a key motivator for the legislation.
A Fire‑Service Agenda for an Election Year
The early legislative activity suggests that Congress is preparing for a year in which fire‑service modernization becomes a recurring theme. With EV adoption rising, wildfire seasons intensifying, and drones proliferating across U.S. airspace, lawmakers appear poised to expand federal support for frontline responders.
Illustration Credit: Illustration executed by MS CoPilot from a prompt by Bjorn Ulfsson, CTIF.
Further reading:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/306/text?utm_source=copilot.com
https://dronexl.co/2026/01/12/congress-counter-drone-wildfires/?
https://mountainjournal.org/unified-wildfire-service-plan-stalls-after-congress-demands-answers/?