Report: Obamacare May Put Status of Volunteer Firefighters at Risk

President Barack Obama's signature health law may jeopardize the status of volunteer firefighters, a Florida media outlet reported Friday.

According to WTEV-TV, there is "concern is that under the new health care law, fire departments would be required to provide volunteers with health care benefits or pay a fine," adding it may result in "leaving many communities without the backup they need in case of an emergency."

The local CBS affiliate spoke with Clay County Fire Chief Lorin Mock who said the volunteer firefighters are a critical part of his force.

"For us, they're an important force augmentation," he said.

"It's literally a whole scale of colors, if you will, as to whether it really applies or doesn't apply," he added. "We just don't know where we stand right now."

[sharequote align="center"]"We just don't know where we stand right now."[/sharequote]

TheBlaze has previously reported on how the Affordable Care Act may impact fire departments around the country.

According to WTEV-TV, legislation has been introduced in Congress that would exempt fire departments from having to provide coverage to volunteers.

The earliest a fire department could see a fine is in 2015 and Mock is not reportedly currently cutting hours.

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Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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