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BOEHLERT: FEDERAL FIRE GRANT PROGRAMS
RECEIVE $7 MILLION BOOST
Local Fire Departments Awarded Over $20 million in Grants Since 2001
WASHINGTON, D.C. – An additional $7 million will be added to two federal grant programs that benefit fire departments across the nation, U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New Hartford) announced today. The additional funds were included in fiscal year (FY) 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Report approved by the House today.
"Federal assistance provides Fire Departments with the necessary resources to enhance the safety and security of local residents," said Boehlert, who has hosted nine grant-writing workshops since 2002 to guide local fire departments through the application processes. "As a founding member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Chairman of the House Science Committee which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Fire Administration, and a co-author of the original fire grant programs, I recognize the needs of our fire services across the United States to purchase life saving equipment and provide adequate staffing to get the job done."
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) awards one-year grants directly to fire departments to support the nation's firefighters and the services they deliver. For FY 2007, AFGP will receive $547 million - an increase of $2 million over FY 2006 - for fire departments to improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations, firefighter health and safety programs, and to establish or expand fire prevention programs.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program help fire departments increase the number of frontline firefighters. For FY 2007, the SAFER program will receive $115 million - an increase of $5 million over FY 2006 - for fire departments to increase staffing and deployment capabilities and ultimately attain 24-hour staffing. The SAFER grants support two specific activities: (1) the hiring of firefighters, and (2) recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
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***Editor's note - As a co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Boehlert led a letter to the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee requesting additional funding for the AFGP and SAFER program. A copy of that letter is attached.
***Letter Attached is a (pdf) file, requires a Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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