WASHINGTON, D.C. — International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger issued this statement today on passage of HR 1 in the House of Representatives:
“We are honored that lawmakers, for the first time ever, have made one of the IAFF’s legislative priorities its first order of business. Designating the recommendations of the September 11 Commission as HR 1 clearly demonstrates the significance that the new congressional majority places on the nation’s fire service and homeland security,” Schaitberger said.
“Credit must go to Speaker Pelosi and the rest of the leadership in the House of Representatives for getting done what the current administration in the White House has failed to do,” Schaitberger said.
“While the administration tirelessly portrays Democrats as weak on national security, the truth is that the new party in power has clearly demonstrated through its action that it knows how to bolster our nation’s homeland security,” Schaitberger said.
The IAFF lobbied Congress hard for provisions in HR 1 that establish a new grant program providing federal funds to improve interoperable communications systems, for improvements to the way
the federal government assists front line emergency responders, and reforms to the formula that targets federal funding to urban areas protected by professional fire departments, allowing localities to
use federal funds to backfill positions of fire fighters assigned to training, and paying overtime of fire fighters who work extra shifts during an elevated threat.
To address the problem of funding getting “stuck in the pipeline” or siphoned off for other uses, the legislation requires that states receiving federal grants must pass through at least 80 percent of all funding to local entities such as fire departments within 45 days.
“HR1 will help local fire fighters protect their neighborhoods and citizens, and that’s what a strong homeland security policy should do. We look forward to working with the new leadership on these and other issues during the next two years and encourage lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and in the administration to support and fully fund these recommendations,” Schaitberger said.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 275,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80 percent of the population in the United States. More information is available at www.iaff.org.