On Tuesday, July 9, President Biden signed into law the Fire Grants and Safety Act (S.870), cfsi.org reported. After two years of advocacy by CFSI and our National Advisory Committee members, the AFG and SAFER grant programs will continue to be able to deliver vital federal support to fire departments across the nation and enable them to address their baseline needs. Specifically, this bill:
- Reauthorizes the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs through fiscal year 2028,
- Reauthorizes the U.S. Fire Administration through fiscal year 2028, and
- Extends the sunset date for AFG and SAFER to September 30, 2030.
The path to reauthorization adds new meaning to the quote, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Working together, CFSI, our National Advisory Committee members, leaders of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and committees of jurisdiction, and other members of Congress built support for the legislation, which is why the measure achieved strong bipartisan support in both chambers.
While the legislative path for a bill to become a law can appear relatively straightforward, it is never smooth and requires constant, sustained, and coordinated effort. In this instance, the fire service remained persistent, staying the course and never relenting until the bill became law. The collaboration between the national organizations and many members of Congress cannot be understated and was essential in moving this bill forward, despite a series of hurdles.
Next Steps
CFSI will continue to work to support robust funding for these programs and USFA. Most recently, CFSI worked with Reps. Bill Pascrell, Mike Bost, and Brian Fitzpatrick – House co-chairs of the Fire Caucus – to add $7.5 million to the AFG and SAFER funding lines in the House FY2025 DHS Appropriations Bill. This amendment was accepted and the bill passed the House at the end of June. We will continue to advocate for funding for these programs and USFA as the FY25 process moves forward.
