Pascrell Announces New $170K Federal Grant to Englewood Firefighters

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) this morning announced that his office had secured a $170,870 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) award to the City of Englewood Fire Department which will be used to strengthen the department’s operations and safety.

“America’s firefighters are our heroes on the frontlines. Their courage demands constant vigilance from our elected leaders to make sure they have every tool they need to do their jobs,” said Rep. Pascrell, the chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. “It’s one thing to say you support our firefighters and first responders – that’s easy. Doing the work of supporting firefighters is something else altogether. Today we have won important federal support that will go directly to our heroes in Englewood. I knew this would be the value of the AFG program when President Clinton signed my FIRE Act into law that created the AFG program. Lives will be saved both in the fire station and in the community with this support. God bless our firefighters.”

“Nobody brings it home better than our Congressman Bill Pascrell,” said Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes. “This literally hits home as our fire department’s mettle is tested by all of mother nature’s challenges. We have had historic rain fall and infrastructure challenges that require more grit and equipment than ever before. The Congressman delivers for Englewood time and time again.”

“We are very appreciative of the Congressman’s support,” said Englewood Fire Chief Jeff Kaplan. “This grant money will be used for driver training for the department. It is a very comprehensive, four-class program over the course of a year. We are truly thankful for Congressman Pascrell’s efforts supporting the AFG program. He’s a huge supporter of our department and the fire services. We are very grateful for his support. Without this funding we would not be able to do this kind of training. Congressman Pascrell helps us bring home federal money for Englewood.”

The AFG program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. Assistance to Firefighters Grants, part of the FIRE program, makes direct grants to fire departments to purchase equipment, training, firefighting vehicles, and other firefighting and fire prevention activities. It also funds Fire Prevention and Safety Grants which are used for fire awareness and prevention activities, as well as fire safety related research. The AFG program was created by Rep. Pascrell’s landmark Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act, which was signed into law in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. Through his FIRE Act, Rep. Pascrell helps procure hundreds of thousands in federal support for northern New Jersey firefighters each year.