The futures of AFG and SAFER programs are down to the wire.
With Congress expected to take up life-saving measures next week, fire, rescue and EMS personnel are urged to contact their local representatives.
If bi-partisan legislation is not passed, the prgrams that help departments hire staff and purchase equipment, will sunset on Sept. 30.
Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) officials, who have been lobbying on behalf of emergency responders, said everyone needs to reach out and tell members of Congress how important it is to save the programs.
In 2000, the AFG program was established by elected officials on Capitol HIll. It has "served as a vital source of funding for many career, combination, and volunteer departments that continue to do more with less. With these grants, departments can purchase equipment, training, and other departmental needs," CFSI officials noted in an informational bulletin.
Just three years later, SAFER was created to address staffing shortages in career, volunteer, and combination across the nation. These shortages prevent departments from meeting industry staffing and response time standards, while placing firefighters at greater risk when they respond to fires and other emergencies, they wrote.
Leaders from all fire service organizations have come together to promote passage.
