Remarks by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, at the International Association of Fire Fighters 2009 Legislative Conference

REMARKS BY SENATOR BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ), DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE, AT THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS 2009 LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE

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SEN. MENENDEZ: Thank you very much. Good morning.

It's great to be here. I want to thank Harold for that kind introduction. He delivered it just as I wrote it for him. (Laughter.) No. It was very gracious, very gracious, and I appreciate it.

It's great to be with all of you here today. And I am particularly grateful to your leadership that they scheduled me before Vice President Biden, because having to follow Joe at a conference of firefighters is like having the little kid with his red wagon follow the fire truck along the street. (Laughter.)

And I'm also happy to be here before our governor, Jon Corzine, because you simply will not find a more dedicated champion, even in these tough times, for fire fighters in New Jersey.

But above all, I'm happy to get to speak to you before Saint Patrick's Day. If you are here tomorrow in Washington, you'll find out why the founding fathers decided that there should be two United States Senators for every state one to be the designated driver. (Laughter.)

So, but on a serious note, I'm really a big fan of Vice President Biden and Governor Corzine. But I am a huge fan of your president, Harold Schaitberger, who does a tremendous job on behalf of this organization.

When you are back at home, making sure that you keep our families safe, he is here in Washington, fighting to make sure that you and your families are safe. And he does a fantastic job. You need to know that when he's not here. (Applause.)

Under his leadership, the IAFF has continued to be the premier organization representing firefighters across the country, with unparalleled depth and respect, and it's only going stronger. And I can tell you personally that Harold never misses an opportunity to press for your interests.

I'm always happy to work with him, and I look forward to seeing that firefighters get what they deserve throughout his second term as president. And if there was ever a time for strong leadership that Harold has exhibited, it's right now.

Now, we're all working hard at trying to put out the economic fire that is sweeping the country and ravaging the middle class. I don't have to tell so many of you that these are tough times across the board. States and municipalities are looking at their budgets; they're seeing shortfalls; and they're thinking about cuts, staffing reductions, station closures, or freezes in wages and benefits.

We've all seen some tough times before, and let me tell you this: If there's anyone I have faith in in having the ability to make sure that in these tough times, the tough keep going, it's each and every one of you.

I grew up in a tenement in Union City, New Jersey, and firefighters were my neighbor. When I was mayor, I visited firefighters hurt on the job, and not a single one said that they wouldn't risk their life all over again to save one of their fellow citizens. The night -- one night that I saw firemen rush into a burning building in order to save a child who was inside is a moment I will never forget.

And I'll never forget the day-to-day sacrifices of people like Tom Canzanella, the late president of the New Jersey professional firefighters and what it means to lose one of your brethren.

If you know where Hudson County is, in my home state of New Jersey, it's right across from Lower Manhattan. On September 11th, my home town could see the smoke from the twin towers. First responders came from all over the country to search the rubble for victims and survivors. It didn't matter where you were from; it didn't matter what badge you had on. What mattered was the flag on your shoulder. That was a time it was easy to remember we were all Americans.

Now we have to support each other in the same way. This isn't a time to despair. It's a time to act. Congress needs to do exactly what you do every day -- keep a cool head, but show some guts. We have an opportunity to thank the selfless heroes of America's fire stations not just with our words, but also with our actions. We have an opportunity to guarantee the rights of those who work to protect our lives and safety every day.

So first in my mind, it's time to reauthorize the SAFER Act and give it the funding that is necessary to make sure that we put more men and women in the force. (Applause.)

We can have all the best equipment in the world, which is necessary, but at the end of the day, it's only firefighters that respond to a fire, not a truck that moves there on its own, not a pumper that ultimately arrives. (Applause.) It's firefighters that need to be there.

That's why, when the recent recovery package was being developed, Harold came to me and expressed how important SAFER funding was and what reforms needed to be made.

So we filed an amendment in the recovery package to add $500 million for SAFER and worked with Senator Chris Dodd to get a waiver to use SAFER funds to retain firefighters, to keep good people in their jobs when we need them the most.

When all was said and done, we locked arms, we rolled up our sleeves. We didn't get everything we wanted in the package, but we made progress.

And out of that package, the opportunity to have hundreds of millions of dollars are going to support firefighters across the country. Legislative fights come and go, and as they happen, I'm proud to be there with you.

And now is the time for us to show that we understand it's much better for everyone to be prepared before emergencies happen than to have to deal with the consequences of not being prepared afterwards. You know better than anyone how important prevention is.

On our end, that means making sure that declining revenues in municipalities won't leave essential services vulnerable. That's why I worked with Senator Dodd to get a waiver included in the recovery legislation so local fire departments can have access to SAFER grants even if they can't come up with their local match for the next two years.

Now more than ever local budgets are squeezed tighter and tighter, and we have to make sure that these funds can still go to them to ensure that local departments are adequately staffed. You need to be able to respond to a fire with the right personnel with you responding to it. (Applause.)

And just as important, it's time for Congress to pass a collective bargaining bill that gives collecting bargaining rights to every firefighter in America. (Applause.)

I have been a strong supporter of legislation that gives the same right that virtually any American enjoys -- the right of collective bargaining, to have a say about the working conditions. We want to make sure that you work in conditions that ensure the maximum possibility that you come back safe in life and limb to your family and be able to go to the job the next day to continue to protect people.

And a majority of states recognize the rights to collective bargaining, to come together in common cause as a union, to advocate for what is just just.

In New Jersey we recognize how important it is for first responders to have a strong working relationship with the municipalities they serve. We recognize public safety officers deserve the dignity and respect, to have a say in their wages, hours and working conditions. And we recognize that when public safety employers and employees work together, the results serve all of our communities well.

Well, it's time that these rights were enjoyed by every firefighter in every state in this country, and I will do my part to make that a reality. (Applause.)

Now making sure that we shore up the support that you need now and in the future isn't only about direct funding, although that's certainly important. It's about -- getting resources to firefighters depends a large -- to a large degree right now on how well we get this whole economy back on track and how well we can sustain and protect that middle class that is challenged in these times.

We're dealing with an economic crisis of massive scope. I sit on the Finance Committee, the Budget Committee, the Banking Committee. I've got a pretty -- a bird's-eye view of all of it and how difficult these challenges are.

So we've had to take action on an unprecedented scale. The federal government has had to step in to try to unfreeze credit markets, so banks can lend, businesses can take out loans, meet payroll and create jobs.

We need to fix our broken health care system so costs are more affordable and treatment is more accessible.

And if we're going to be economically competitive tomorrow -- I tell you this as someone who grew up poor in a tenement, the first in my family to go to college and only because of the assistance of the federal government be able to afford to do so and then be able to go on to law school -- we need to make sure that every child in America who has the ability, willing to work hard and give something back to his country can get that college education, because that's what America's going to need to compete in this global economy. (Applause.)

Now, the root of this economic crisis is the housing market, and so we need to stabilize it so that families' dreams of homeownership can still become realities and so that so many of you, for which your home is probably the single biggest asset that you have, don't find your values declining in such a way that it leaves you without the ability to look for that moment in the future in which you might need to draw upon it for a family's education, for a medical emergency, or even for retirement use.

And we can't lose sight of what should be a right for every American: the right for anyone who works hard to -- throughout their whole life, to retire with dignity. Well, that's the least your government can do for you, considering all you give to our communities.

And, finally, it's never failed to impress me how much service you do beyond your profession. Your service doesn't stop with your job. It goes way beyond that: being a positive presence in schools, volunteering, coaching Little League, raising funds for charities. You're famous for what you've done for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and I'm proud that last month, New Jersey's professional firefighters kicked off the 2009 Fill-the-Boot campaign. But that's just the beginning.

I heard about the Firefighter Stair Climb last week in Seattle. Firefighters from across the country came together to climb the stairs of the second-tallest building on the West Coast to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The winner was a firefighter from Missouri, who climbed from the lobby to the 73rd floor observation deck of the Columbia Center -- 788 vertical feet -- in 10 minutes and 55 seconds, while wearing 50 pounds of gear. That's pretty amazing. (Applause.)

But here's -- don't ask me to do that. I'll do a lot for you, but don't ask me to do that.

But here's really the best accomplishment of the day: They expect the event to raise over a half a million dollars for leukemia treatment just like it does every year.

And that's why a Seattle firefighter named Brad Watamura ran it. He's been running for years, but this year he had a picture of his six-year-old son Mason on his helmet. Mason was diagnosed with ALL, the most common type of blood cancer in children. Thanks to the organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the support that you give them, there's a 90 percent chance that Mason will be cured before his ninth birthday. That's what firefighters do each and every day. (Applause.)

So I ask, if you can generate that kind of support to cure leukemia in a single day, why shouldn't the federal government be just as dedicated as getting you the resources you need every single day in every fire station in America? Why shouldn't we support the people who run into the fire, not away from it? Why shouldn't we support those who rush to the scene of car accidents and treat medical emergencies? And why shouldn't we support the brave men and women who run into buildings on the verge of collapse so they can bring others out?

Our nation's first responders put their lives on the line, day in and day out, as they react to natural and man-made disasters of every size, scope and severity.

We will never forget that they were there, on the front lines, when terror struck American soil. And no one has to be reminded what role they'll play if, God forbid, that were to take place again.

So it's time we show how much we appreciate the dedication and bravery of our nation's heroes. With 80,000 firefighters and 76,000 police officers being injured in the line of duty, each year, the time to act is now.

With 300 public safety workers making the ultimate sacrifice, each year, the time to act is now. Anything less would be unacceptable and, in my view, un-American.

Let me close by saying, these are difficult times. But I have faith in you. And I hope you have faith in your country. This is a country that fought two world wars abroad, to defeat fascism and Nazism.

This is a country that put a man on the moon and started a scientific revolution that turned into a technological revolution. This is the country that led the world in curing diseases that were thought, at one time, to be uncurable.

This is the United States of America. And in my mind, there isn't anything together that we cannot accomplish, to come out of this dark winter and to enter a spring of hope and opportunity, and fulfilling once again the American promise.

You're a big part of our promise. And I thank you for what you do each and every day. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END.

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