GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters says his legislation to extend federal grant programs is needed to provide critical resources to fire stations.
Peters, the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, visited the Grand Rapids Fire Department headquarters on Friday. He watched a fire-safety demonstration using equipment that the Grand Rapids Fire Department purchased with funding from federal grants.
Peters, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss and Grand Rapids Fire Department Chief John Lehman then held a media briefing to underscore the importance of extending the programs. Peters would like the U.S. Senate to pass his legislation, which was recently approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
It would reauthorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, and the United States Fire Administration (USFA). The programs are set to expire and are used by local fire departments to address staffing needs, purchase equipment, develop fire training and education programs, and improve emergency medical services.
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