The House recently passed an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act to increase the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants and the Assistance to Firefighter grants.
The bipartisan amendment, authored by Reps. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), would boost the grants by $2.5 million each.
The amendment passed in a voice vote. It is revenue neutral and does not increase spending.
“I am pleased that the House of Representatives was able to come together again in a bipartisan manner and pass this amendment to ensure our first responders have adequate funding,” Runyan said. “These grants play a vital role in helping equip or hire additional staff that our firefighters and emergency responders need to provide the best services possible.’
The International Association of Firefighters, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the National Fire Protection Association all endorsed the amendment.
“Passage of this amendment affirms the remarkable bipartisan effort to ensure our nation’s first responders have the resources to keep themselves and our communities safe,” Pascrell said.
The SAFER Grants were created to provide assistance to local communities to hire properly trained firefighters. The FIRE Grants were established in 2001 as a way to help first responders obtain the specialized equipment and resources that are needed to ensure the safety of their community.