{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gimenez.house.gov/2022/11/congressman-gimenez-golden-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-reauthorize-essential-firefighter-programs-and-help-struggling-local-fire-departments", "Congressman Gimenez, Golden Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Reauthorize Essential Firefighter Programs and Help Struggling Local Fire Departments", "2022-11-02", "2022", "2022-11", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Carlos A. Gimenez", "G000593", "gimenez.house.gov", "gimenez", "https://gimenez.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressmen Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Jared Golden (D-ME), Dan Kildee (D-MI), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) announced today the introduction of the Fire Grants and Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and increase federal resources for local fire departments across the nation. The legislation would boost critical federal funds for local fire departments to address staffing shortages, purchase new equipment, and improve training and emergency services. Fire departments in rural areas are experiencing significant losses in staffing and slowing interest in the volunteer fire fighting work that is critical to smaller communities. In 2021, Monroe County was awarded over $5.6 million through the grants to assist in the hiring of firefighters. In 2021-2022, Miami-Dade County was awarded over $2.3 million for operations and safety.\n\n\u201cAs a former firefighter and Chief of the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department, I know firsthand how crucial these vital programs and resources are to adequately prepare firefighters to respond to emergencies and protect our communities,\u201d said Congressman Gimenez. \u201cIn the past, both Monroe County and Miami-Dade County have benefited immensely from such initiatives. In Congress, it is our responsibility to support firemen as they make every effort to keep communities in South Florida and across the country safe.\u201d\n\nThe Fire Grants and Safety Act would reauthorize funding for three key initiatives: the United States Fire Administration (USFA), the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. Since 2021, Maine fire departments have been awarded over $4 million in SAFER grants to assist in hiring new staff and more than $14 million in AFG grants. Without Congressional intervention, all three programs are set to expire starting in 2023 \u2013 endangering future recruitment, training, retention, and outfitting efforts. The bill is companion legislation to a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH).\n\n\u201cThe Mainers who make up our fire departments put their lives on the line to protect their neighbors,\u201d said Congressman Golden. \u201cThe federal government has a responsibility to ensure they have what they need to do their job and do it well. Increasing access to these resources \u2013 especially at a time of staff shortages throughout Maine \u2013 is just common sense. I\u2019m proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help advance this funding for departments in the Second District and across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur fire fighters keep us safe, and we must ensure they have the resources necessary to protect our communities,\u201d said Congressman Kildee. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m working with Republicans and Democrats to provide critical federal funding for local fire departments. This bipartisan legislation will support mid-Michigan fire departments and fire fighters so they can be ready when our community needs them.\u201d\n\n\u201cCommunities across our country rely on local fire departments to keep residents safe in the event of a life-threatening crisis,\u201d said Congressman Fitzpatrick. \u201cI am proud to co-lead bipartisan legislation that will support volunteer fire departments and assist with volunteer recruitment and retention.\u201d\n\nAdvocates and members of the national and Maine firefighting community voiced their support for the bill:\n\n\u201cI thank Representatives Golden and Gimenez for introducing the Fire Grants and Safety Act,\u201d said Chief Donna Black, the President, and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. \u201cThis bill is a companion to Senate legislation, which we hope will pass this year. The Assistance to Firefighters and SAFER grant programs provide peer-reviewed matching grants directly to local fire departments. They help fund critical training, equipment, and staffing to ensure the safety of our fire and EMS personnel and our citizens. The bill also would authorize more funding for the U.S. Fire Administration, empowering it to better serve the needs of local fire chiefs.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe IAFF is grateful to Representatives Golden, Kildee, Gimenez, and Fitzpatrick for introducing the Fire Grants and Safety Act, legislation that would reauthorize the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, and the United States Fire Administration (USFA),\u201d said International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward Kelly. \u201cThese programs are vital to ensuring fire departments are fully staffed by trained and equipped fire fighters to respond to any emergency that threatens our communities. Studies and our own experiences have proven that proper staffing levels are key to safe and effective emergency responses. \"The IAFF also applauds these members of Congress for advancing legislation that would strengthen the USFA\u2019s role in educating the fire service and gathering the data we need to better protect our communities. The IAFF urges Congress to pass this critical legislation at the first opportunity.\u201d\n\n\u201cNFPA is pleased to support the bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the U.S. Fire Administration as well as the AFG and SAFER grant programs that are so critical to first responders across our country,\u201d said Jim Pauley, President and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association.\n\n\u201cMany fire departments across the State of Maine and our Nation are struggling to maintain basic response capabilities,\u201d wrote Darrell White, President of the Maine Fire Chiefs Association, in a letter of support. \u201cThis program has been extremely beneficial to many communities here in Maine who have received grants for much needed equipment, apparatus, staffing and training that would not have been possible without the AFG funding.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese grants are critical to public safety agencies across the country,\u201d said Darren Woods Director of the Aroostook County Emergency Management and Fire Chief of the North Lakes Fire and Rescue. \u201cThese programs have done a lot of good in ensuring that public safety officials have the proper equipment to protect citizens at the community level across the United States.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:24:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://gimenez.house.gov/2022/11/congressman-gimenez-golden-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-reauthorize-essential-firefighter-programs-and-help-struggling-local-fire-departments"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3820170424878597, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}