Representative Ann Kirkpatrick has introduced a bill in Congress to help fire departments continue to hire new personnel. The bill waives the cost sharing requirements for a major grant program so that rural communities can afford to keep participating.
The SAFER program—Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response—helps fire departments hire more firefighters by assisting with their salaries for their first four years.Kirkpatrick says the program has been extremely successful, but its cost sharing requirements have become a burden during the recession.
The bill has been assigned to the House Committee on Science and Technology. It is endorsed by the International Association of Firefighters and by local fire chiefs.
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