Department Of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, as soon as this amendment logjam is broken, it is my intention to offer an amendment which is cosponsored by Senators CARPER, CASEY, and KERRY. This amendment deals with an issue of significance to all 50 States in our country and maybe especially rural America.

In the midst of the financial crisis we are facing, our capabilities to support fire departments--both professional and volunteer--and the EMS services they provide is under great stress.

What my amendment would do is add $100 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program as well as for another important program for fire departments, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, Grant Program--$50 million for each program. In the $50 million for the SAFER Grant Program would be included $30 million that would go for addressing the real crisis rural volunteer fire departments are facing.

I say to the Presiding Officer, I do not know what the situation is in New Hampshire, but in Vermont--and I think in many parts of the country--we are seeing a real problem with recruitment and retention. Many people in urban areas may not understand that. But in rural America, most folks get their fire service and most folks get their EMS, their first responder service, from volunteers. If there are not volunteers available for one or another reason--and we have seen both recruitment and retention problems in volunteer fire departments--if those volunteers are not there, what is going to happen is, when fires happen, those fires are not going to be able to be contained. When somebody has a heart attack and dials 911, they are not going to get the kind of speedy ambulance service they need.

In the midst of this recession, what we are seeing is not only a reduction and a real stress on volunteer firefighting departments all over this country, and their EMS services, we are also seeing, in terms of professional firefighters, reductions in one part of the country after another part of the country, after another part of the country. Cities and towns under stress are cutting back, and they are doing it in ways which are certainly endangering the well-being and the health of the people in their communities.

Surveys by the International Association of Fire Fighters say that up to 5,000 firefighting jobs are in jeopardy. In Prince George's County, MD--not far from here--there is a new phenomenon called ``brownouts.'' This is where fire stations are closed, five at a time, to save money. In Atlanta, GA, the economic crisis has resulted in the shutting of five firehouses. In Flint, MI, 22 firefighters were laid off. Proposals in Columbus, OH, include laying off 238 firefighters. In Warren, OH, 17 firefighters received layoff notices. Orlando, FL, plans on laying off 46 firefighters. In Spokane, WA, up to 15 firefighting positions could be eliminated. There is also a serious problem about funding the equipment our firefighters need.

So we have a real problem. It seems to me at this moment this is a priority for this Nation, and it is something we should be addressing.

This amendment is supported by the volunteer firefighters of America.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from the National Volunteer Fire Council. The National Volunteer Fire Council is strongly supporting this amendment, and they represent thousands of volunteer firefighters throughout this country.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD

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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, this amendment is cosponsored by Senator Casey, Senator Carper, and Senator Kerry. It is also supported by the National Volunteer Fire Council representing the interests of over 800,000 volunteer firefighters.

At a time when due to the economic crisis fire departments all over this country are laying off firefighters, and in rural America volunteer fire departments are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain those firefighters who not only help us, saving our property and our lives, but also are involved in EMS services, we are putting some of that $100 million directly into recruitment and retention for volunteer firefighting efforts. The offset is the science and technology fund, which I have nothing against, but I think the priorities now have to be for firefighting and for volunteer fire departments.

I yield 15 seconds to Senator Casey.

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