By FireRescue1 Staff
MCLEAN, Va. — International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) President and Board Chair Chief Donna Black last week testified before the Research & Technology Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to support the reauthorization of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
Black highlighted the importance of these programs in providing essential resources to fire departments and emergency responders across the country. She requested that the AFG and SAFER programs be authorized through Fiscal Year (FY) 2030 and that the USFA be authorized through FY 2030 with an increased authorization of $95 million per year.
The chief emphasized that these programs are successful in providing matching grants to local fire departments to meet their basic needs, but that many departments still struggle to provide personal protective equipment and training to their members. She also highlighted the importance of the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants in funding research to identify and mitigate the increased prevalence of cancer in the fire service.
Black further requested that the sunset date for the AFG and SAFER programs be extended to September 30, 2032, to provide Congress with enough time to review and revise the programs before they face termination.