The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bi-partisan legislation to save the SAFER and AFG programs.
The measure that passed on a 393-13 vote Wednesday evening now heads to the Senate.
"We've cleared one hurdle. And, we have one to go," said Bill Webb, executive director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute.
It's essential for the Senate to pass the legislation to keep the two vital funding programs from ending on Sept. 30.
"We need to keep the momentum going," Webb said, urging the members of the fire service to contact their Senators to lobby for their vote.
After their decision, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, D-CA, wrote in a statement: “More frequent and severe wildfires are among the many devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Wildfires threaten my home state of California and Americans across the nation throughout the year—regardless of season. In the face of fire, we rely on our nation’s firefighters, who risk their lives to protect communities and the environment. We must ensure that firefighters have the robust support and resources they need to be safe. The Fire Grants and Safety Act reauthorizes programs that will do just that. This is a common-sense bill and I look forward to seeing it enacted.”
Officials from various fire and EMS organizations recently penned a letter urging legislators to save the programs.
"Congress cannot allow the two largest forms of federal support to disappear. Without
these programs, our communities will be ill-prepared to respond to acts of terrorism, natural
disasters, and “routine” emergencies like house fires and medical emergencies," they wrote.
"Congress also faces an urgent need to reauthorize the USFA, the fire service’s primary
representative in the federal government and the lead federal agency for fire data collection,
public safety education, fire research, and fire service training..."
"The USFA’s reauthorization expired in September and would be
restored by the Fire Grants and Safety Act. We urge Congress to reauthorize the USFA and
provide it with an authorization level that ensures the agency will be prepared to fulfill its
mission and lead the fire service into the future."
