Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) tonight celebrated passage in the Senate of the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act. Pascrell was the lead Democratic cosponsor of the House version of the measure. After a vote of 88-2 in the Senate tonight the bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to become law. 

“When I came to Congress, fire departments across America were literally holding bake sales to pay for their gear,” said Congressman Pascrell, whose FIRE Act established the lifesaving AFG program supported by this bill. “The Assistance to Firefighter Grants were the first program ever to send federal dollars directly to fire departments. Since their creation, the AFG and SAFER programs have provided over $14 billion to fire departments and first responders from coast-to-coast. They have saved countless lives. This critical legislation will ensure our government continues to give our local firefighters the help they need to protect us. I await its signing by President Biden. God bless our fire heroes.” 

As the longtime co-chairman of the House Fire Services Caucus, Congressman Pascrell spearheaded efforts to pass this bill which will provide a five-year reauthorization for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG) Program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) Program. Congressman Pascrell wrote the original landmark FIRE Act that first established the AFG program for equipment and training, and also led to creation of SAFER a few years later to help departments meet staffing needs.