Fire Services Pleased with Passage of Omnibus Spending Bill

December 26, 2007 -- On Wednesday, December 19th, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 2674, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008. The legislation is an omnibus spending package containing the eleven Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bills Congress had not passed earlier in the year. The spending package includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Grant) and the and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Program (SAFER Grant). The legislation was signed by President Bush today.

According to a press release from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), this legislation includes a number of successes for America’s fire service; it includes an increase of more than $75 million for the SAFER grant program, an increase of $13 million for the FIRE grant program, a $50 million increase for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants, a $7.5 million increase for Urban Search and Rescue Teams and level funding for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

The legislation also appropriates $2.8 billion to prevent and fight wildland fires, including $300 million emergency funding; it returns funding in FY 2008 to nearly $6 million for the Rural Fire Assistance program in the U.S. Department of the Interior and provides level funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Volunteer Fire Assistance program.

“The IAFC is thankful for the commitment of Congress to meet the needs of America’s fire and emergency medical services,” said IAFC President Steven P. Westermann. “These are very positive numbers, especially considering the president’s intent to hold the line against spending,” added Chief Westermann.