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U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) issued statements after the Senate passed the Fire Grants and Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to continue providing federal funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs.
This bill now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program helps firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources.
The SAFER Grants program provides direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters and enhance their capacity to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards.
Since 2015, fire departments across Minnesota have received over $33 million in SAFER grants and $59 million in AFG grants.
“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to save lives. We need to invest in our local fire departments and ensure that they have the funding they need to hire and train firefighters and purchase life-saving equipment,” said Klobuchar. “That’s why I worked to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act which will support fire departments in Minnesota and across the country.”
“Firefighters do one of the most difficult jobs possible, often at the risk of immense personal injury, to keep our families and loved ones safe. This funding is our way of giving them the support they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible,” said Smith. “This bill means better equipment to protect firefighters on the job, increased funding for departments to hire additional firefighters, and ensures departments get the staff and resources they need to be ready to go in case of an emergency. I am proud to support this legislation.”
“Small volunteer and paid on-call fire departments rely heavily on AFG dollars to replace critical equipment and apparatus. These items are crucial to firefighter safety,” said Ely Fire Chief Dave Marshall. “Without a doubt, AFG funding allows community fire departments to fulfill their commitment in saving lives and property. “The AFG Program is paramount to the future of the fire service. As costs for fire departments are constantly increasing, we definitely need this type of assistance,” said Virginia Fire Chief Scott Fredrickson. “This is a great program that really helps out fire departments, especially those in the rural parts of Minnesota,” said Steve Shykes, Fire Chief for Fayal Township.
“The Assistance to Firefighters Grant has been a critical component in helping fire departments purchase apparatus, protective gear & life- saving equipment, to ensure we can continue to meet the emergency response needs of our communities,” said Jesse Buhs, Fire Chief of the Cloquet Area Fire District. “The continuation of this program will be very impactful to the long-term sustainability of fire departments across the US.”
