Lawmakers urge first responder COVID-19 support

A bipartisan group of lawmakers said they are seeking bolstered legislative support for first responders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) joined Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Peter King (R-NY), Mike Bost (R-IL), and over 100 of their other House colleagues in forwarding correspondence to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy encouraging the action.

“As Congress considers further legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge you to include support for our nation’s first responders, especially fire and emergency medical services (EMS), who are serving on the frontlines of this outbreak,” the legislators wrote. “First responders are routinely in physical contact with potentially infected persons as pre-hospital health care providers. During this public health emergency, the continued work and support of our first responders is vital.”

The lawmakers maintain firefighters and EMS personnel work in one of the highest risk occupations for COVID-19 exposure and face severe testing and personal protective equipment shortages.

Testing shortages have resulted in some within the field to self-isolate or quarantine, legislators said, leaving departmental staffing gaps to be backfilled with increased overtime.

“We urge you to increase funding for emergency Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants and direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expeditiously disperse federal funds to departments in need,” the lawmakers concluded. “To ensure grant recipients can use SAFER grants for costs related current employee needs and overtime, we urge including language mandating the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant waivers to SAFER recipients for the ability to use funds for overtime, backfill needs, and employee retention in addition to hiring.”