Legislation and Funding
As part of the FireRescue1 Legislation & Funding topic, we highlight articles that will affect the bottom line of fire department budgets and operations.
Fire service leaders and representatives from REV Group and Pierce testified about apparatus costs, delivery lead times and alleged anti-competitive practices
Only 14 states require 9/11 instruction, and Massachusetts hasn’t until Gov. Maura Healey directed the state to embed September 11 into curriculum framework
The Enhancing First Response Act would recognize dispatchers’ lifesaving role and improve emergency communications infrastructure
Carlsbad Fire Chief Rick Lopez said the department has outgrown its older rescue truck and will benefit from access to more equipment at scenes
The Wagener Fire Department’s strained relationship with town officials culminated in the suspensions of its chief and assistant chief in November
‘High-priority’ PPE does not always include gear deemed obsolete and/or out of compliance with current standards
Fire, EMS, police and 911 departments in Porter County are collaborating to apply for funding for the more efficient alerting system
Murkowski, of Alaska, was named the Congressional Fire Service Institute’s Legislator of the Year in 2019
The Warrenton Fire Protection District has already sold multiple apparatus due to financial troubles
The bill is named Dominick Marino, the late president of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey
Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ addressed in annual defense bill
The city tapped into a line of credit in order to exempt public safety workers from the cutbacks, but said additional funding will be needed to prevent future cuts
California Professional Firefighters promoted the law, which prevents good Samaritans from being sued or prosecuted for property damage when they break into a car to rescue an endangered child
Converse spent its CARES Act money on the Infectious Disease Response Units, which feature several technological upgrades
House Bill 308 also prohibits employers from penalizing first responders who file a claim with the fund
The bill includes the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act, which prevents the auction of the T-Band spectrum deemed critical to radio communications in metro areas
The Consolidated Appropriations Act does not include COVID-19 aid for state and local governments, but does include provisions to help fire and EMS
The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act recommends additional research into PFAS in PPE and alternatives to PFAS foam
The bill would extend the deadline to spend CARES Act funds by one year and allow non-profit emergency service agencies to use relief funds to replace lost income
Sarbanes, 87, was a past chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and a strong ally of the CFSI and NFFF
Efforts to retrofit high-rise buildings with sprinklers following a fatal apartment building fire last year were stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that creates the New York State Recruitment and Retention Task Force, which will study the challenges of volunteer fire departments
City leaders said they will need to make the cuts by July 1, 2021 if more federal pandemic relief is not received
The president-elect stated he would ensure first responders have enough PPE and sick leave, and work to prevent layoffs
The vote came as a shock to the Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Co., which was preparing to get back into the county’s dispatch system last week
The bill would make Oct. 28 the nation’s 11th legal public holiday
City employees will continue to see a 10% pay cut and mandatory furloughs, with an overall 8% budget cut for the fire department and 18% for the EMS department
President Trump and Congress have 6 weeks to prioritize firefighter PPE, communications, program funding and more
Tacoma Firefighters IAFF Local 31 criticized the plan in an open letter, saying it would significantly impact service levels
Strongsville voters rejected a property tax increase that would have allowed the department to hire 20 new full-time firefighter-paramedics
Looking to history – and a friendship between key players – to determine if increased funding opportunities are on the horizon
Moscow Volunteer Fire Department officials say the purchase would prevent members from needing to share radios, which could increase COVID-19 risk
Funds will be used for ongoing research to determine how to better protect volunteer firefighters from cancer-causing agents
