On Nov. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to increase resources for the country’s firefighters. The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3791) authorizes a total of $2.2 billion a year in grants for local municipalities to upgrade equipment and maintain adequate levels of personnel, according to a press release from the office of Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), who voted for the bill. It also makes it easier for local fire departments to access the funds by lowering matching requirements and modifying time commitments. “Our local firefighters, both professional and volunteer, must have the best training and equipment at their disposal to keep our communities safe,” Capps said in the release. “State and local governments are facing falling revenues and shrinking budgets, but even in these challenging economic times they should never have to choose between balancing their budgets and providing adequate training and equipment to their fire personnel. This bill protects against that.” The bill is supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2009.