About 8,000 temporary firefighters will get access to federal health insurance following a petition drive that gathered more than 125,000 signatures.
President Obama says the country decided to pay for their insurance because of the heroism the firefighters have demonstrated across the west this summer. "Each day, these Americans put themselves in grave danger to save the lives of people they never met," Obama said in a
statement. "Their heroism in battling the deadly fires that have impacted states across the country this summer inspires us all."
The temporary firefighters weren't covered by federal health insurance because- under federal rules- temporary seasonal employees can't buy into federal insurance plans.
