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Congressional Fire Services Institute / International Association of Arson Investigators / International Association of Fire Chiefs / International Association of Fire Fighters / International Fire Service Training Association / National Fire Protection Association / National Volunteer Fire Council / North American Fire Training Directors/ International Society of Fire Service Instructors January 30, 2003 The Honorable «First_Name» «Last_name» «Address» Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman «Last_name»: We are pleased to see the Senate has voted to fully fund the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (the FIRE Grant) at $900 million in the recently passed FY03 appropriations omnibus bill. We ask that you join the Senate in supporting this vital program and fully fund the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program when the spending measure moves to conference. The FIRE Grant Program addresses the critical needs of our nation’s fire and emergency services. Fire departments can use the funds to purchase training and equipment to prepare for disasters of all nature, including terrorism. They can fund education programs to teach our youths how to safeguard their schools and homes against potential dangers, and fitness programs to reduce both injury and death rates. To ensure full utilization of every dollar awarded, the program contains various reporting and matching requirements to which fire departments must adhere. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), has recently released a needs assessment study of our nation’s fire service as mandated by federal law. The study identifies many areas where additional resources are needed for the fire service to operate effectively and safely. The study found: Many of the nation's fire departments are unable to achieve widely recognized response-time guidelines and lack key equipment, prevention programs, and a wide range of training. Approximately a third of all firefighters per shift are not equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Most fire departments do not have the ability to handle unusually challenging incidents with local specialized resources and do not have written agreements to direct use of non-local response resources. In general, fire departments do not have enough portable radios to equip more than about half of the emergency responders on a shift and most radios lack intrinsic safety in an explosive atmosphere and are not water-resistant. Full funding of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program can go a long way towards relieving the burden of these shortcomings. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is an all-mitigation program. Fire departments apply for grants, selecting from a number of different categories of equipment or training. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed process which last year received over 20,000 applications totaling approximately $2.2 billion. Awards are based on need, and a certain percentage of all funds must be disbursed among, career, combined and volunteer departments. In addition, to ensure community support, a co-payment is required from the municipality. This program is critical in addressing the needs of over 26,000 fire departments and one million fire and rescue personnel. We thank you for your support of this program, and ask for your continued backing. Sincerely, Congressional Fire Services Institute International Association of Arson Investigators International Association of Fire Chiefs International Association of Fire Fighters International Fire Service Training Association National Fire Protection Association National Volunteer Fire Council North American Fire Training Directors International Society of Fire Service Instructors NAFTD P.O. Box 80065 Washington, D.C. 20018 naftd@fsi.illinois.edu