News
NVFC Testifies Before House Subcommittee on AFG/SAFER Reauthorization
On July 8, Jack Carriger, First Vice Chairman of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Chief of the Stayton (OR) Fire Department, testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. The hearing was held in preparation for the reauthorization of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, which expire after FY 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Also testifying were Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), who introduced legislation that created AFG in the 106th Congress; Timothy Manning, a Deputy Administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; Jeffery Johnson, the First Vice President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs; Kevin O’Connor of the International Association of Fire Fighters; Curt Varone from the Public Fire Protection Division of the National Fire Protection Agency; and Ed Carlin of the Spalding (NE) Rural Volunteer Fire Department.
Carriger discussed the importance of the AFG, SAFER, and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant programs to volunteer departments, giving specific examples as to how they have helped his own fire district. He also explained the NVFC’s involvement at criteria development and strategic planning during stakeholder meetings organized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and provided both statistical and anecdotal evidence supporting the success of these grants.
“The NVFC’s main priority for reauthorization of AFG, FP&S, and SAFER is to extend the programs without substantial changes,” said Carriger. “We believe that the programs are well-run, distributing funding in an efficient manner to the most deserving awardees. Through the criteria development and strategic planning meetings, DHS is already able to make adjustments to the programs on a yearly basis to ensure that the program is responsive to the shifting needs of the fire service.”
The NVFC is asking for several relatively minor reforms to the programs, which Carriger outlined in his testimony, including:
- Making state fire training academies eligible to compete for AFG funds with an annual grant cap of $1 million.
- Eliminating the local matching requirement on fire departments through the FP&S program. National, state, and local interest organizations are currently able to receive FP&S funds without paying matching funds.
- Making national organizations eligible to compete for SAFER Recruitment and Retention funds. State and local organizations are already eligible.
- Improving information collection and analysis with regard to the effectiveness of AFG and SAFER.
Search
Kimberly Ettinger
Director of Communications
202-887-5700 ext. 19
David Finger
Director of Government Relations
202-887-5700 ext. 12