Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (aka FIRE Act)
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has been touring firehouses across New York State and meeting with Fire Chiefs to drum up support for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. His goal is to restore full funding ($1 Billion as authorized by Congress) to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program for 2007.
Senator Schumer has also launched a grassroots campaign, sending petitions to every fire department in NY State, asking firefighters to join his call to restore funding. Schumer said since this is a program that puts life-saving equipment in the hands of first responders, mobilizing firefighters across the state could be an effective way to show how critical these grants are to localities that need them.
Senator Schumer also said that he would join with Senate colleagues later this year to support an amendment to the budget that would restore the entire $ 1 billion to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Senator Schumer and some of his colleagues are sending a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for full funding of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
We need to support Senator Schumer’s effort and sign the petition. He is the only Senator who is publicly demanding the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program be fully funded at $1 billion as authorized by Congress for 2007.
How can the Fire Service support Senator Schumer?
1) The goal of the Fire Service should be to get 100 signatures from each Fire Department in the United States (Signatures can include family members and friends of the Fire Service).
2) Senator Schumer wants the signed petitions returned to his Washington, DC office (address at bottom of petition) by September 11, 2006. In addition, fax copies to your Senators and Congressional Representative. Also, fax a copy to President Bush at 202-456-2461.
Every Fire Department that has received a grant, or applied and did not receive one because of the lack of funding, knows how important this program is to the Fire Service. Now is the time to show our support for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.