Letter to the Hon. Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security - Schumer to Feds: Allow grant money to be used to avoid layoffs and rehire Upstate New York firefighters during pandemic ASAP

Letter

Dear Acting Secretary Wolf:

I write today to urge you to immediately exercise your waiver authority and grant applicants within the forthcoming Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant cycle the latitude to spend SAFER funds to rehire firefighters and lessen the cost-share requirements. It is vital that you grant these waivers to ensure that fire departments are able to remain adequately staffed in the wake of this public health crisis.

Among the many sectors hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, fire departments across the country have suffered and will continue to face challenges in the coming months. I've been hearing from both Mayors and the fire service across my state who are worried that declining tax revenues during the pandemic increase the likelihood of municipal furloughs. Our firefighters, in cities like New Rochelle, have been overwhelmed by the virus with about 70 percent of the fire department under quarantine. As fire departments continue to experience the effects of COVID- 19 and become understaffed it is vital that they receive adequate aid.

Since the enactment of the FIRE Act in the 106th Congress, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program has provided federal funding to local fire departments for firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment, and firefighting vehicles as well as training. Notwithstanding the fire grants program, the fire-service community felt that without federal assistance, many departments would be unable to meet national standards for staffing minimums. In response to these concerns, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant was created and provides hiring grants to increase the number of firefighter along with recruitment and retention grants. In times of crisis like we see today, the limitations of the SAFER grant program have become evident. To alleviate the limitations, a waiver authority was included in the Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93) lessening cost-share requirements (15 U.S.C. 2229a (c)(1)(E)) and permitting grantees to use SAFER funds to rehire laid-off firefighters (15 U.S.C. 2229a (a)(1)(B)). Again, it is vital that you grant these waivers to ensure that fire departments are able to remain adequately staffed in the wake of this public health crisis.

It is not unprecedented for a Secretary to exercise this authority. In 2009, with economic downturn in full swing, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) included a provision waiving matching requirements for SAFER grants hoping it would enable fire departments to more effectively participate in the program. Subsequently, the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-32) included waiver authority, granted by the Obama Administration, permitting the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive certain limitations and restrictions in the SAFER statute.

As the county continues to battle this hardship, New York State remains one of the hardest hit areas. As of April 27, New York State Department of Health reported over 291,996 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York, with over 156,100 in New York City alone. Tragically, at least 17,303 people have perished in our home state because of this outbreak. These estimates are unfortunately projected to be undercounts of what the true impact COVID-19 has had on our state. As firefighters are on the frontline of this battle, it is crucial that we ensure our fire departments receive the help they need. Congress has granted you the authority to provide these waivers and I urge you to utilize that authority and grant waivers for the upcoming round of SAFER grants.

I appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with my questions.

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