Fire Grants Reauthorization Act | House Democrats

Legislation

Fire Grants Reauthorization Act

November 18, 2009

The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 3791), introduced by Representative Harry Mitchell, would reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. The AFG program provides funds to local fire departments to purchase equipment, vehicles, and training. The SAFER program helps fire departments hire firefighting personnel and meet voluntary national consensus standards on safe minimum staffing levels. The bill would authorize $1 billion for the AFG program per fiscal year from FY2010 to FY2014, and an additional $1.194 billion per fiscal year from FY2010 to FY2014 for the SAFER program. This federal support is important in this tough economy as local officials struggle to provide services in the face of decreasing budgets.

What our Members are Saying

Keeping our communities and families safe means ensuring that the agencies we trust to protect us have the needed funding and resources to do their jobs safely and effectively.

I am proud to support [the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act] that will help both create and retain new jobs in communities of all sizes across southern New Mexico.

At a time when our state and local governments are facing budget shortfalls and cuts in basic services, Federal FIRE Grants take on even more importance. These funds are a major resource for Hawaii fire departments to purchase up-to-date equipment ...

The security of our families depends on the ability of our firefighters to respond to emergencies. These brave men and women deserve the best training and equipment we can offer, and this bill helps make our families and communities safer.

“FIRE Grants provide volunteer and career fire departments across the country with vital funding to increase fire fighting capabilities, better respond to medical emergencies, handle natural disasters, and operate more effectively overall.

Featured Member

Donna Edwards

Representing the 4th District of MD

<a href="/members/donna-edwards">Donna Edwards</a>

Meet Congresswoman Donna Edwards and you’ll immediately sense her strong energy and enthusiasm for her work on behalf of people in her community. According to Edwards – who represents portions of Maryland’s Prince George’s and Montgomery counties – the experience so far has “been really invigorating – exciting.”

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