Columns

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

answering the alarm for iowa’s firefighters

Whether responding to a house fire down the road, a car accident around the corner, or a brushfire miles out of town, firefighters and emergency personnel in Iowa have their work cut out for them. Many of Iowa’s rural fire stations are heavily – and often wholly -- staffed by volunteers.

Volunteer firefighters work hard to balance their volunteer duties with their “day job” and family life. It does not matter if they are just sitting down for Sunday dinner or watching their kid’s football game, when the bell rings these unsung heroes report for duty. Firefighters devote countless hours. They serve faithfully despite limited resources, outdated equipment and little pay, if any at all.

Today, in our post-9/11 world, first responders are devoting significant time to preparing for terrorist threats. Yet they still face the full range of everyday emergencies. That is why, for me, it is a personal priority to ensure that Congress continues to equip first responders, including firefighters in rural states like Iowa, with the necessary equipment and training to do their jobs with excellence.

I appreciate that many fire stations work hard to raise money and support themselves through events like pancake fundraisers. But this is rarely enough. Fortunately, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is helping to fill the gap here in Iowa and across the United States.

I spent time during the Senate’s August break visiting fire departments in Iowa that received these grants. And I was excited to see how well the grant money is being used.

One unique feature of this program is that, by law, at least 60 percent of the money has to go to volunteer fire departments. This means that places like Hartwick and Oelwein are not competing against larger cities such as Des Moines. Additionally, the local match is only 10 percent. In today’s economy, this makes it possible for small fire departments to take advantage of the program.

Congress first funded the Assistance to Firefighters grant program in 2001 to the tune of $100 million. However, there was a deluge of more than $2 billion in local grant requests. After 9/11, Congress realized that fire departments across the country needed additional resources. Funding for the program was boosted to $360 million. But, once again, there was a deluge of requests totaling more than $2 billion.

Last year, as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I made a full-court press to more than double funding to $750 million. Despite budget cutbacks, I worked to maintain this funding again this year. This is a big victory. But any celebration is tempered by the fact that grant requests have soared to $2.5 billion. The U.S. Fire Administration expects that some 7,000 grants will be awarded nationwide this year. Iowa has done well under this grant program, with more than $10 million awarded to fire departments across our state in the past two years.

It amazes me that, just about wherever I go in Iowa, firefighters know about this program and are deeply grateful for the federal dollars. But it is these heroes who are most deserving of gratitude. They give so much of themselves, putting their lives on the line every day to protect their neighbors. So I say to any firefighters who might be reading this: You have me deepest respect and admiration. Thank you for your many sacrifices and selfless service!