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On November 18, H.R. 3791, the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2009, was approved by the House of Representatives by a vote of 395-31. The bill extends for five years the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs. The provisions in H.R. 3791 are based on a series of policy recommendations that were agreed to by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and other national fire service organizations. The NVFC issued a press release yesterday calling on our members to contact their Representatives to ask them to vote for H.R. 3791, which contained a detailed explanation of the major components of the bill.

 

“I’d like to thank the vast majority of members of the House for voting for H.R. 3791,” said NVFC Executive Director Heather Schafer. “These grant programs are critical for the fire service – by far the most significant source of federal assistance available for bringing local fire departments up to a baseline level of readiness. Reauthorization of AFG and SAFER is a top priority for the NVFC and we look forward to working with our allies in the Senate to advance H.R. 3791 - or a Senate version of the bill - in the near future.”