| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
March 27, 2001
ROCKEFELLER FIGHTS FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT FUNDING
WASHINGTON, DC – Recognizing the importance of firefighters in our communities, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has written a letter to the President requesting that he reinstate funding for the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act. Last month, President Bush submitted his FY ‘02 budget blueprint to Congress which signaled that he intends to eliminate funding for the program.
The FIRE Act, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is a grant program that provides funding to hire new firefighters and to purchase firefighting apparatus for undermanned and underfunded fire departments.
"There are about 16,000 firefighters in West Virginia serving in 437 fire departments. Virtually every one of these departments are underfunded and that’s why the FIRE Act is so important," Rockefeller said. "The FIRE Act helps all of our communities by providing fire departments with the funding they need to better protect West Virginians."
"Many of West Virginia’s fire stations are small and unable to purchase the newest equipment they need or they’re unable to hire enough personnel because they lack the financial resources," Rockefeller added. "These firefighters risk their lives everyday to do their job. We should give them all the help they need to do their job safely and efficiently."
The FIRE Act program, which was enacted last year, provides up to $400 million nationwide to help underfunded fire departments. Senator Rockefeller is a co-sponsor of the legislation that created the FIRE Act.
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