Tester fights to maintain strong support for firefighters

Senator calls assistance to firefighters essential to keeping folks safe

(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester is making sure that firefighters have the resources they need to keep Montana communities safe.

Tester, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today wrote a letter urging fellow committee members not to cut funding for the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) initiatives – both used to train and equip the nation’s fire departments.

The President’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015 cuts support for AFG and SAFER by $10 million, which would affect fire departments’ ability to train and retain firefighters and purchase equipment. Tester and a bipartisan group of 25 senators say that’s the wrong place to start cutting.

“As Congress continues to get our nation’s deficit under control, we have to make sure critical services, like firefighters and emergency responders, get the support they need,” Tester said. “These initiatives get resources where they’re needed so firefighters can do their jobs protecting folks’ property and saving lives.”

Tester and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) are co-chairs of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, an organization dedicated to bipartisan support of all first responders.

Tester’s letter is supported by the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Tester’s letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee by les_braswell5524