Rep. Barletta chairs hearing on successes of emergency preparedness grants for public safety threats

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) held a hearing last week to examine the effectiveness of emergency preparedness grant programs that allow locales to identify and respond to various disaster scenarios.

Barletta, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, discussed how grants help communities help their citizens, property, and infrastructure when dealing with public threats to safety.

The congressman brought attention to the Nonprofit Security Grant (NSG) Program, which is currently helping Jewish Community Centers throughout the nation protect themselves from multiple types of threats.

“The threats we are seeing at Jewish communities across the country are outrageous and unacceptable,” Barletta said. “This is domestic terrorism and the full force of the law needs to be brought against the perpetrators.”

Barletta heard testimony from multiple stakeholders including Michael Feinstein, president and CEO of the Bender Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington, and William Daroff, senior vice president for public safety of the Jewish Federations of North America. Both Feinstein and Daroff testified that NSG programs were instrumental in helping their centers respond to bomb threats.

“These funds have been critical for us,” Feinstein said. “These grants make a tremendous difference for our JCC’s and other JCC’s.”

Barletta also discussed the successes of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program, which helps fire departments throughout Barletta’s district in Pennsylvania to purchase needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, and training exercises.