IAFC chief testifies before Congress on need for local fire, EMS support

Gary Ludwig, president and chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), testified before Congress in June on the need for more federal support local fire and EMS departments.

Ludwig, appearing before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, highlighted the key role local fire and EMS departments are playing in helping victims of COVID-19.

“Regardless of whether they are from career, volunteer or combination departments, fire and EMS personnel are providing aid every day to victims of COVID-19. When a person suffering from COVID-19 calls 9-1-1, fire and EMS personnel meet them in their homes, provide aid and transport them to the hospital,” Ludwig said.

Specifically, Ludwig requested direct assistance to fire and EMS agencies through FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs as well as HHS’s Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) grant program. He also asked that Congress make fire and EMS departments top priorities for the distribution of COVID-19 supplies, testing, and vaccines. In addition, local
fire and EMS departments should be notified of drug shortages, he said.

“We are having trouble getting critical masks, gowns, and sanitizing agents,” Ludwig said. “Our firefighters were not originally considered a high priority for PPE or for testing, which led to quarantining firefighters while they awaited results. We also are concerned that we will again run into obstacles to inoculating our staff when vaccines are developed.”

The IAFC chief also asked for tax incentives for local volunteer fire and EMS personnel and a repeal of the planned auction of the public safety spectrum in the T-Band (470 MHz – 512 MHz).

Ludwig also thanked Congress and the Trump Administration, especially the U.S. Fire Administration, for the assistance that already has been provided during the pandemic.