Menendez, Booker Announce $1.7M to Support NJ Firefighters, EMTs

Press Release

U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today announced a combined $1,729,328.42 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure fire departments and EMS squads across New Jersey have the proper equipment and staffing to protect the communities they serve, and to purchase additional personal protective equipment and other supplied needed to combat COVID-19.

"Firefighters and first responders across New Jersey have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning and risk their lives every single day to protect their communities," said Sen. Menendez. "This funding will ensure our local fire departments have the resources, staffing, and protective gear to continue protecting us, themselves and their communities."

"As New Jersey's brave firefighters and EMT's work to protect others in the midst of this ongoing public health crisis, we must ensure they have the latest training and equipment to keep themselves and our communities safe," said Sen. Booker. "I will continue to fight for federal funding like this and let our first responders know they will never stand alone."
The following departments have been awarded Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help local fire departments and EMS organizations acquire new equipment and vehicles to enhance their response capabilities, as well as to allow them to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel:

$478,332.73 Union Township (Union)
$210,476.19 Oakland (Bergen)
$253,333.33 Hammonton (Atlantic)
$173,333.33 Washington Township (Warren)
$166,666.67 Prospect Park (Passaic)
$66,918.18 East Orange (Essex)
The CARES Act provides supplemental AFG funding to help local first responders purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies to the fire service community to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following departments received AFG-S grants:

$100,235.26 -- Clifton (Passaic)
$15,400.91 -- Irvington (Essex)
$3,806.82 -- Union Township (Union)
Woodland Volunteer Fire and EMS in Chatsworth, Burlington County, was awarded a $260,825 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to recruit and retain 11 firefighters in an effort to increase the number of frontline firefighters, enhance the ability of the department to attain and maintain 24-hour staffing, and assure that the community has adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Eleven firefighters left the department since the pandemic began and it will use this funding to bring their force back to 20 firefighters.

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