Committed to keeping Americans working and providing for their public safety, U.S. Bill Pascrell, Jr, (D-NJ-8) joined by U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced a $4.5 million Assistance to Firefighters Station Construction Grant (SCG), funded by the Recovery Act, for the construction of a new fire house for the City of Paterson. The grant is awarded under the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Program, which was created after Rep. Pascrell authored the original Firefighter Investment Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act in 1999.

The new fire station, Paterson Fire Department (PFD) Engine Company No. 7, is planned to be constructed as four bay apparatus firehouse on McBride Avenue.  The new fire station will replace a single-bay structure on Grand Street at Quinn Street, which is more than 100 years old and was originally designed and constructed for a horse-drawn fire apparatus.  While the floor of the old firehouse has been reinforced through numerous rehabilitation projects to support the weight of modern fire apparatus, the size of the bay door and apparatus bay area still prevent the majority of the Paterson Fire Department’s vehicles from fitting within the building.  In addition, the old firehouse can not provide suitable facilities for male and female firefighters

“I fought hard to ensure fire station construction money was included in the Recovery Act. It just makes sense to create construction jobs through projects that are vital to public safety,” said Pascrell, an original member of the House Homeland Security Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee who voted in favor of the Recovery Act in February 2009. “We’ve had a lot of success in the FIRE Act’s first 10 years, providing fire departments with the equipment they need to protect their communities. This grant through the Recovery Act is particularly satisfying because it will bring a new, much-needed fire station to the people in my hometown, the city of Paterson.”

“This investment in the Paterson Fire Department will provide firefighters with the facility they need to best protect the community and it will help boost the local economy,” said Lautenberg, who as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee helped to write the Recovery Act. “Investing in this firehouse construction project for the Silk City’s bravest lays the foundation for a safer, stronger community in my hometown city of Paterson.”      

“This is a crucial federal investment that will help keep Paterson families safe and will help create Paterson-based jobs. The brave men and women of the fire department will receive a state-of-the-art firehouse that will help them respond to fire emergencies even more efficiently and effectively,” said Menendez. “The work that will be needed to construct the firehouse will employ local workers at a time jobs are badly needed. This is the type of Recovery investment that provides a strong economic boost while building a more secure community into the future.”

“This is major. This is going to replace a fire house that is more than 100 years old,” said Paterson Fire Chief Michael Postorino, referring to the single-bay fire house on the corner of Grand and Quinn streets. “The old firehouse was built for horse-drawn apparatuses. It has outlived it usefulness. Now we can have a firehouse that with be able to serve the residents of the city for another 100 years.”

Chief Postorino added that the new firehouse will have multiple bays to house more fire engines and rescue vehicles. The added equipment and more centralized locations will improve their already fast response times, as well as being able access the major highways in the city.

“I want to thank Congressman Pascrell, Senator Lautenberg and Senator Menendez for his support of all our grants. Without federal funding, we would not be able to accomplish this,” said Posterino.

“I’m just grateful that not only will we be providing jobs, but this is also in connection with homeland security as well,” said Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres. “We will provide the necessary tools and equipment to maintain the integrity of that neighborhood, as well as the safety of the entire city. I’m very grateful that we were able to receive this grant.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided more than $210 million in fiscal year 2009 for the SCG Program. Paterson was one of three communities in the entire nation to receive a construction grant under SCG during the latest 3rd Round of awards.  The purpose of the FY 2009 ARRA SCG Program is to provide communities that have gaps in adequate firefighting coverage with financial assistance for the construction, renovation or modification of fire stations and to stimulate the local economy in the process.

The City of Paterson has now been awarded a total of $12.2 million dollars under the AFG program since it was created in 2001.  This includes five FIRE grant awards to the Paterson Fire Department totaling more than $1.3 million awarded to the department since 2001. A massive Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant of $6.4 million was secured in 2005 that allowed the department to hire 53 firefighters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the AFG program directly to fire departments. The AFG program is comprised of the FIRE and SAFER grants as well as the SCG funding provided in FY 2009 under the Recovery Act.  Since 2001, the AFG program has provided more than $6.5 billion in grants to fire departments to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting response vehicles, firefighter staffing, and training.  

New Jersey fire departments have received more than $97 million in FIRE grant awards during fiscal years 2001-08 and $17 million in SAFER grants during fiscal years 2005-08.

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