Congressional Fire Services Institute

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) recently presented U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) with its 2022 Legislator of the Year award. 

Since 2007, Senator Klobuchar has served in the U.S. Senate representing the state of Minnesota. A member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, she has worked tirelessly on a variety of issues affecting her home state, including many issues that affect fire and life safety. Senator Klobuchar spent years working on carbon monoxide safety, most recently getting a bill signed into law that will create a grant program at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to help states and tribal entities improve carbon monoxide protection and awareness. She has supported legislation to encourage fire sprinkler retrofits and has also been a strong supporter of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs, among other initiatives.

“We value the efforts of our Congressional Fire Services Caucus members who work every day to support the fire and emergency services and Senator Klobuchar has led by example, pushing for several legislative priorities that help states and localities to save lives and protect their citizens,” said CFSI President Jim Estepp. “Senator Klobuchar has long been a strong supporter of the fire and emergency services and we look forward to continuing to work with her on major issues that affect our fire and EMS personnel, as well as the safety of communities across the country."

Since 1992, CFSI has given its Legislator of the Year award to a member or members of Congress who demonstrate outstanding support for the fire and emergency services. Past recipients have been instrumental in moving forward on a number of initiatives affecting fire and EMS personnel and the safety of communities across the nation. We are pleased to add Senator Klobuchar to this distinguished list. 

Following efforts from the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the other national fire organizations working in concert, the Senate voted 95 to 2 to pass S.870, the Fire Grants and Safety Act. This bipartisan bill would reauthorize the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) programs, as well as the U.S. Fire Administration. CFSI has been working hard to advocate for the passage of this bill through Congress.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Reauthorize AFG, SAFER, and USFA through FY2030;
• Extend the sunset for AFG and SAFER to September 30, 2032, to ensure local fire departments can continue to receive the vital federal assistance they need to keep their communities safe; and
• Provide critical funding for USFA by increasing the authorization to $95 million, allowing USFA to respond to the ever-growing needs of the fire and emergency services for training, data, research, and more.

In order to get this bill across the finish line before AFG and SAFER expire next year, members of the fire and emergency services will need to continue to work together to encourage Congress to get it done. CFSI will continue to work to advance this essential legislation.