City of Passaic to receive $423,000
Borough of Totowa to receive $167,950

PATERSON -- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded a new federal FIRE grant to the Passaic Fire Department in the amount of $423,000 and the Totowa Fire Department in the amount of $167,950.  The grants will continue to help communities in New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District respond to and prevent life threatening fires and other emergencies.

“The firefighters in Passaic and Totowa are well deserving of these federal dollars,” stated Pascrell.  “These departments continue to put together outstanding applications and the results speak for themselves.  The FIRE Act was written right here in the Eighth District, specifically to help communities such as Passaic and Totowa support their first responders.  For too long, the federal government turned a deaf ear to the pressing needs of fire departments.  This grant demonstrates that through the FIRE Act, we have changed that shortsighted policy.”

Fire departments across America have received grants under the FIRE grant program (aka the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program), which was directly created by Pascrell’s Firefighter Investment Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act in 2000.  With broad bipartisan support, Pascrell’s program has grown from $100 million in fiscal year 2001 to $490 million this year.

This is the second FIRE Grant Passaic has received, worth a total of $618,811since the program began.

Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said, “On behalf the Passaic Fire Department I offer a heartfelt thank you to Congressman Pascrell for creating the FIRE grant program which made this grant available.  This will allow my department to acquire a modernized fire truck to help better respond to emergencies within the city. It will also relieve any additional burden that tax payers would normally pay for such equipment.”

Totowa has been the recipient of four grants, for a total of $430,118.  The Totowa Fire Department will use this latest grant for the purchase of new fire protective turnout gear for each firefighter, four new thermal imaging cameras, and a one new respirator fit test.

Totowa Borough Mayor John Coiro stated, “The Borough of Totowa takes fire safety and prevention very seriously.  We are grateful that Congressman Pascrell created this federal program and has assisted us secure assistance through it.  This grant is a tremendous benefit to Totowa’s volunteer firefighters and tax payers.”  

The FIRE grant program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  Pascrell’s “FIRE Act,” introduced in March of 1999, is the first comprehensive national legislation dedicated to meet the special needs of America’s 32,000 volunteer, paid and part-paid fire departments.  Since 2004, with the Fiscal Year 2007awards, AFG has provided a total of almost $2.2 billion to first-responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, and vehicles.

The maximum amount an applicant can be awarded is $750,000 during any fiscal year. As part of the application, applicants had to demonstrate financial need and articulate the benefits to be derived from the grant funds.  Funding priorities for each of the activities were established utilizing recommendations from each of the nine major national fire service organizations.

Each year, Congressman Pascrell invites fire departments from across the state to attend a FIRE grant-writing workshop with officials from the DHS to assist New Jersey’s first responder organizations complete effective grant applications. 

For more current information regarding the FIRE Grant (Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program), visit www.usfa.fema.gov.

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