As Schumer Completes 17Th Annual 62-County Tour In Rensselaer County, Senator Will Push For Critical Fire Grant Program That Is Dangerously Low & Helps Capital Region & All Of Upstate Ny; Will Allow Local Fire Departments To Purchase New Equipment & Train New Firefighters

Press Release

Standing at the Central Fire Station in Troy, NY, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today completed his 17th consecutive tour of all 62 New York State counties -- after promising to be the first New York State public official to visit every single county in New York each year. Schumer ended his yearly tour in Rensselaer County, where he launched his push to increase grant programs for firefighters, which help localities across Rensselaer County, the Capital Region and all of Upstate New York purchase new equipment, protective gear and emergency vehicles, as well as hire new firefighters. Schumer said local fire departments throughout New York State apply for and rely upon these federal funds, which are administered through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs. Schumer said these two programs have seen decreased funding since 2011. Therefore, Schumer urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to include a combined $810 million for both programs in the FY 2016 appropriations bill, an increase of $130 million from FY 2015 funding. Schumer argued these grant programs are extremely important to many local fire departments in the Capital Region that are already strapped for cash, and it is critical Congress provide more resources to the brave men and women who keep our communities safe.

"We owe it to our brave firefighters -- who risk their lives every day to protect our communities and deserve to have the state-of-the-art equipment needed to do their jobs safely and effectively. Simply put, the continual short-changing of the AFG and SAFER grant programs is unacceptable and means our local departments will not have the equipment they need," said Schumer. "I am urging my colleagues to increase funding to these two critical programs that bring vital resources to our local fire departments in the Capital Region and across Upstate New York. I've fought my whole career to bring more federal resources to our fire departments -- so I'll be working double-time to keep our firefighters and communities safe."

Schumer explained that the AFG and SAFER grant programs provide critical assistance to local fire departments that often depend on federal funding to purchase new trucks, hoses, turnout gear, breathing equipment and more, as well as hire and recruit new firefighters in order to protect residents and emergency personnel. The AFG program in particular provides funds for firefighter training, facility upgrades, and new equipment like protective gear and emergency vehicles. The SAFER program provides funding for the hiring of new firefighters for career departments, as well as recruitment and retention efforts for volunteer fire departments. Schumer said fire district budgets around New York State are strapped for funding as it is, and that is why he is urging Senate appropriators to increase funding to these grant programs, which are continually short-changed by Congress each year. Schumer said these federal firefighter programs are a great way to provide vital funding for equipment, staffing and safety upgrades without passing a heavy burden along to taxpayers. In 1999, Schumer was one of the original group of Senators who created the federal grant program for fire services for the first time.

The AFG and SAFER programs have seen decreased funding since 2011. In 2011, the two programs were provided $810 million in combined funding, a total of $405 million for each program. While funding levels have fluctuated since 2011, these two programs have seen funding well below that level every year following. In 2015, the AFG and SAFER programs received a combined $680 million, a total of $340 million for each program. Schumer said this net decrease of $130 million has left cash-strapped fire departments with less federal dollars to apply for, meaning less and less will receive the critical federal funding they need to purchase equipment and hire new firefighters. That is why Schumer is urging Senate appropriators to restore the program to the full $810 million it last saw in 2011, with $405 million for the AFG program and $405 million for the SAFER program.

The President's proposed budget for FY 2016 requests the programs receive $670 million in federal funding, a total of $335 million for each. Schumer said that while the House and Senate appropriations bills provide slightly more, the currently proposed $680 million is not enough, as these two programs have seen increased demand over the years. In fact, the two programs have received applications requesting an average of $3 billion in funding annually. This increased demand, however, has been coupled with the fact that the AFG and SAFER programs have been flat-funded over the past four years when accounting for inflation. Schumer said this means the two programs have actually seen a reduction in real dollars, and at a time when the cost of equipment and gear continues to rise.

Schumer said this means fewer fire departments will receive federal assistance through the AFG and SAFER programs if Congress does not restore them to previous funding levels. In particular, only 22 percent of local fire departments that applied for AFG funding in 2014 received funding. Approximately 10,000 applications were submitted for AFG funding in 2014, and 2,245 awards were made. For the SAFER program, 1,335 grant applications were submitted for funding in 2014. Just 254 awards were made, meaning only 19 percent of requests were funded through the SAFER program. Schumer said this roughly 20-80 percent success-failure rate means fewer fire departments are receiving the critical federal funds they need to purchase the basic equipment needed to effectively respond to a range of emergency situations and hire new firefighters in career departments like the City of Troy.

Schumer said this could be a devastating blow for local fire departments across Rensselaer County and all of the Capital Region, which will be forced to choose between waiting another year and using outdated, potentially dangerous equipment, or purchasing equipment immediately and without federal funding, thereby passing the burden along to local taxpayers. In FY 2014, New York State received a total of $17,715,637 in AFG funding, which constituted 169 awards. In the same year, New York State also received $5,113,242 in SAFER funding, for a total of 10 grant awards. The Capital Region, including Rensselaer County, received a total of 22 AFG grants in 2014 alone, totaling $3,288,557. Because local fire departments, like the City of Troy, have come to rely on this funding, Schumer said it is imperative the federal government provide the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect communities with the resources they need to safely and effectively do their jobs. Schumer said the City of Troy Fire Department in particular received six AFG grants in a 10-year period -- between 2003 and 2013 -- totaling approximately $1,588,636. With this funding, the department was able to purchase new personal protective equipment, provide training to firefighters and improve department facilities, thereby increasing safety for both firefighters and residents throughout the City of Troy and Rensselaer County. This year the Troy Fire Department applied for a SAFER grant to hire 5 additional firefighters. Schumer supported Troy's application, but unfortunately, like 81 percent of SAFER applications, it was not funded.

Schumer was joined by Lou Rosamilia, Mayor for the City of Troy; Patrick Madden, City of Troy Mayor-elect; Thomas Garrett, Chief of the Central Fire Station Department; and firefighters from Troy and surrounding communities.

"During a time when municipal budgets continue to be stretched thin, federal aid like the SAFER and AFG grant programs can provide needed help to cities like Troy by assisting in staffing our local fire departments and improving the safety of our residents and neighborhoods," said Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia. "As a supporter of the SAFER and AFG grant programs, I want to thank Senator Schumer for his continued advocacy toward strengthening local fire services and his ongoing commitment to first responders in our communities."

Schumer has long fought to secure the kind of funding needed to keep fire departments across New York well-equipped and adequately staffed. In 1999, Schumer was one of the original group of Senators who created the federal grant program for fire services for the first time. Schumer said that, over the years, these successful programs have provided funding to hundreds of volunteer and professional fire departments in towns across New York. Since their inception in 1999, fire grants have brought over $300 million to volunteer and career fire departments across Upstate New York.

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