Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced that the economic recovery package will include a critical provision to waive the requirement under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program that requires local governments to provide matching funds for fire departments receiving grants.
Dodd fought for the inclusion of this provision in response to reports that a growing number of fire departments are refusing competitive federal grants because communities cannot afford the required local match. In some cases, communities are forced to raise local taxes or institute public safety levies to fund the local match.
“We must ensure that the safety of our communities does not fall by the wayside as we work to get our economy back on track,” said Dodd. “This measure will ensure fire departments in Connecticut and across the country will not have to refuse much-needed federal assistance because of strained local and state budgets. This is about job creation and protecting our communities
The final economic recovery package also includes $8.8 billion in stabilization funds to states for public safety and other critical services. These stabilization funds will help communities prevent layoffs of fire fighters and police officers and other cutbacks to public safety services. The recovery package also includes $210 million for fire station construction through the Firefighter Assistance Grants program.
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program provides 5-year grants to assist fire departments in paying a portion of the salaries of newly hired fire fighters. Communities that accept SAFER assistance must absorb an increasing portion of the salary over the duration of the grant. The original provision introduced by Senator Dodd waives the local match for communities that are competitively awarded SAFER grants with fiscal year 2009 and 2010 funding.
Senator Dodd has a long history of advocating for fire fighters. In 2000, Dodd authored the FIRE Act, which gives local fire departments the ability to purchase new equipment and initiate education and training programs. In 2003, Dodd authored the SAFER Act, a law that gives local fire departments the ability to alleviate critical shortfalls in professional and volunteer personnel. Since the SAFER and FIRE Acts were enacted, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has distributed over 480 grants for a total of more than $51 million in Connecticut to help fire departments strengthen their response capabilities.
