Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-9) has been selected as the chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus for the 114th Congress. First elected to Congress in 1996, Congressman Pascrell has been a tireless advocate for the nation’s fire and emergency services. Throughout his career in Congress, he has sponsored numerous bills to address the needs of the fire service, and is recognized as one of the principal authors of the legislation that established the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs. In 2001 and 2005, Congressman Pascrell was a selected as a co-recipient of the CFSI Legislator of the Year Award for his leadership and support of the nation’s fire and emergency services.
“Congressman Pascrell has been a tireless leader for the fire service on Capitol Hill” said Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute. “As the Fire Caucus continues to recruit new members and educate their colleagues on the needs of the nation’s fire service, I can think of no member of Congress better suited to lead the caucus.”
“It’s an honor to be selected by my colleagues to serve as chairman of one of the most important caucuses in Congress,” said Congressman Pascrell, an original member of the House Homeland Security Committee. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to ensure our brave first responders are adequately prepared to protect our communities while recognizing them for their bravery and sacrifice. I will also continue to fight and ensure the FIRE and SAFER grant programs are fully funded to not only protect the lives of our first responders, but also the precious lives in our communities.”
Heading into the 2014 mid-term elections, there were 257 members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. 22 caucus members retired, 18 were defeated in the election, two members had unsuccessful bids for governor of their respective states, and one member resigned. At the start of the 114th Congress, there are 214 members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. While the Fire Caucus still remains one of the largest caucuses in Congress, this is one of the lowest memberships level since the caucus was first formed. Recognizing a robust and active caucus is necessary for the fire service’s success on Capitol Hill, CFSI will be vigorously working with the Fire Caucus leadership to recruit new members. Every firefighter is encouraged to personally reach out to their members on Congress to ask them to join the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. The current caucus membership can be found on CFSI’s website.