IAFF LEGISLATIVE FACT SHEET

FUNDING FOR SAFER

The IAFF supports increased funding for the SAFER grant program and urges Members of Congress to oppose the Administration's proposal to abolish the program.

BACKGROUND

To address the critical staffing shortages facing fire departments across the nation, Congress enacted the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Fire Fighters Act in 2003. This law authorizes funds to hire up to 75,000 new fire fighters over a seven-year period. Under SAFER, fire departments can apply for federal grants to help pay the costs associated with hiring new staff over a four-year period, with the local community contributing a gradually increasing match. In its second year of implementation, the law provided staffing grants in forty-three states to help address fire fighter shortages in local departments across the country. The critical importance of adequate fire department staffing has been well documented by independent studies. Both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the consensus standards making body of the fire service, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated standards for the minimum number of fire fighters needed to respond safely and effectively to emergencies. An estimated two-thirds of all jurisdictions do not currently meet these safe staffing levels.

A study conducted by the U.S. Fire Administration found most fire departments unable to respond to many common emergencies with existing staff. A study by the Boston Globe found that fire departments are no longer meeting national standards for response times, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has identified lack of staffing as a key cause of fire fighter fatalities on the fireground.

While funding for the SAFER program has grown since it was created in 2003, the $190 million appropriated in Fiscal Year 2008 is less than 1/5 of the more than $1 billion needed to fully fund the program.

CURRENT LEGISLATION

Funding for SAFER is addressed as part of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2009.

U.S. House:           The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009
                            A bill number is not yet available for this legislation
                            Reported by:  Representative David Price (D-NC)

U.S. Senate:          S. 3181, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009
                            Reported by:  Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

Summary:             The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009 provides
                            funding for the Department of Homeland Security, its agencies and programs for Fiscal
                            Year 2009.  The House-passed version of the bill contains $230 million for SAFER
                            grants, while the Senate-passed bill contains $190 million for SAFER grants. 

CONGRESSIONAL ACTION

On February 5, 2007, the President released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2009.  The proposal eliminates all funding for the SAFER grant program.  Read IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger's statement on the President's proposal.

On June 11, 2008, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security approved the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009.  As approved, the bill contains $230 million for SAFER and $570 million for FIRE.  Read More...

On June 19, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved S. 3181, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009.  As approved, the bill contains $190 million for SAFER and $560 million for FIRE.

On June 24, 2008, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009.