1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

As a volunteer firefighter in your district, I am writing to request that you vote yes on S. 870, The Fire Grants and Safety Act. The Fire Grants and Safety Act would reauthorize Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). This  bill will be considered by the House of Representatives during the week of May 6.  Passage of this bill is the top legislative priority of the National Volunteer Fire Council and over 30 other national organizations representing the nation's fire service. Without passage of this bill the two most successful grant programs serving the nation's fire service, AFG and SAFER, will shut down due to a statutory sunset on September 30. Many volunteer fire departments are funded by local tax bases that are unable to adequately meet their needs for basic equipment. For example, over half of fire departments nationwide cannot provide self-contained breathing apparatus to all their personnel. In addition, many volunteer departments are facing staffing shortages.  AFG and SAFER provide critical funding to address these shortfalls. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) also serves as an important voice of the fire service at the federal level. USFA provides critical training, data, analysis, education, and much more for both fire and EMS personnel, as well as the general public.   The authorizations for AFG, SAFER and USFA lapsed at the end of FY 2023 and as mentioned above AFG and SAFER face a statutory sunset on September 30. Different versions of this bill passed the Senate by 95-2 in April 2023 and passed the House Science, Space and Technology Committee in June. Please act to preserve these crucial programs by voting yes on S. 870 the week of May 6.