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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.
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