U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer visited the city of Norwich Fire Department on Friday, April 7, to rally for continued federal funding of emergency services.
In a media release, Schumer said the main federal firefighter funding programs — the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program — are at risk of being eliminated this year, and “revealed his plan to rally support to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023 in the Senate by the end of this month to save these programs.”
Schumer also announced that the Oxford Fire Department has this week been awarded a $226,200 SAFER grant to support recruitment and retention activities.
“From small, rural communities like those here in Chenango County, to cities like Binghamton, the AFG and SAFER programs are lifelines that have delivered over $5.6 million in federal funding to firefighters across the Southern Tier in just the past three years; we can’t let this lifeline go up in smoke,” Schumer said. “These programs provide desperately needed federal dollars for new fire trucks, better equipment, and to hire more firefighters in the Upstate communities that need them most.
“As majority leader, I am officially announcing that I have put the Fire Grants and Safety Act on the Senate floor, and shepherded it through the initial hurdles, priming the Senate to pass this life-saving legislation when we return in two weeks,” he said. “I am calling on my colleagues to join me in passing a clean bill this month, our firefighters have waited long enough. I’ve fought my whole career to bring more support to our brave firefighters, every day they save lives and I promise that I will not stop holding congressional feet to the fire until we pass this bill and save this federal lifeline for our New York fire departments and first responders.”
Norwich Fire Chief Chief Jan Papelino thanked Schumer for supporting the funding programs. “These programs are pivotal to supporting fire departments and EMS agencies nationwide, with tens of thousands having benefited from federal investment since 1999,” Papelino said. “Locally, the Norwich Fire Department was the fortunate recipient of an AFG Grant in 2022. We used the funds to purchase personal protective equipment gear for 18 of our firefighters and increase the EMS level of care for 6 employees from EMT Basic to EMT Paramedic, improving the level of service we are able to provide to the public we serve.” Papelino said previous grants funded equipment upgrades.
“The AFG and SAFER grant programs have been a lifeline for the fire service all across New York State. There are many municipalities and fire districts that depend on these funds to provide lifesaving, property preservation, and fire prevention educational services in the communities they protect,” Oxford Fire Chief Ron Martin said. “The stark realization is that without this funding, some departments will hang on for a while, others will close, and the ones left will have to absorb the burden, including higher costs and longer response times, putting lives and property in danger, not only for who we protect but for our emergency personnel.”
Matt Beckwith, Chenango County fire coordinator, said. “Chenango County is a rural community with an aging population and a low tax base. All of our agencies that have been awarded these grants were able to purchase this equipment to replace their old, outdated and even unsafe equipment with little to no impact on the local communities. Without this important funding opportunity, many of our local, rural departments would not have had the opportunity to update their existing and purchase new equipment, to help save lives within their local jurisdictions.”
Schumer warned, “Over the last 20 years, these programs have delivered nearly $700 million in federal funding to NY firefighters and first responders, but if new legislation doesn’t pass, fire departments will not be able to access this funding next year.”
According to figures supplied by Schumer’s office, Chenango County has received $713,000 in funding from the programs since 2020, while Otsego County has received $400,000.
The Oxford Fire Department’s objective is to recruit up to 17 new members over the next five years. Funds will also be used to support the acquisition of personal protective equipment (PPE) for new volunteers brought in through the program. This federal funding comes after the city of Norwich Fire Department received an AFG award of $150,975 in 2022.
The AFG and SAFER grant programs are both administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide competitive funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to purchase essential equipment and help them increase the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities, the release said.