The Fire Grants and Safety Act garnered enough votes to advance through the Senate last week, passing the question of extending federal support for local fire departments to the House, with the future of two grant programs and the United States Fire Administration (USFA) on the line.
Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, it would help local departments purchase equipment, hire staff, develop training programs, and improve EMS operations. It would do so by reauthorizing Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, and the USFA.
Without extensions provided by the bill, these programs would otherwise expire soon, despite the fact that local fire departments use them to tackle staffing and training issues, purchase equipment, and improve medical services.
“Fire departments rely on critical federal resources to keep firefighters and emergency responders safe, and these heroes need our support as they continue protecting our communities in Michigan and across the country,” Peters said. “Now that the Senate has passed my bipartisan bill, the House must quickly send it to the President’s desk so brave firefighters can continue to count on these programs for up-to-date equipment and trainings that save lives.”
Funding from these federal programs can be used to recruit or retain personnel, purchase vehicles, and critical equipment, and fund safety and technical rescue training and health screenings for firefighters.
If approved, the Fire Grants and Safety Act would reauthorize all programs until 2030. It would also increase funding for the USFA, specifically, by nearly $20 million from current levels to a total budget of $95 million. Currently authorized levels of funding for the SAFER and AFG programs would be maintained.
“Firefighters across Maine and the country courageously and selflessly put their lives on the line to serve their towns and cities,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a co-sponsor of the bill alongside U.S. Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), said. “I helped create FEMA’s firefighter grant programs in 2003 as part of a bipartisan effort to ensure that firefighters have adequate staffing, equipment, and training to do their important jobs as effectively and safely as possible. By reauthorizing these programs, we can continue to deliver this critical assistance to fire departments and support firefighters as they work to protect lives and property.”
The legislation is backed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, and other firefighter associations.