Representatives from Legislative District One Issue Statement in Support of Firefighter Fund

Cape May – In light of recent reports of a plan to divert $33 million from a fund set up to provide funding for the burial of fallen firefighters, Senator Bob Andrzejczak (D-1), Assemblyman Bruce Land (D-1), and Assemblyman Matt Milam (D-1), called on administration officials to immediately back off from the proposal.

The fund, which originated in State statute in 1885, provides financial assistance to first responders hit with medical bills, but has rigid spending restrictions that make it hard for local departments to access and utilize. A recent State Comptroller report noted that the fund was left vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse, and was also hard to access by the first responders who most needed it.

“Instead of writing this fund off, we should be working to improve it,” argued Senator Andrzejczak. “We have to expand the permissible uses for the fund and make it more accessible to local departments, even if that means increasing oversight and tightening up controls.”

The fund is used as an insurance policy for the State’s firefighters to use in their greatest time of need.

“Our firefighters risk their lives every day to ensure that our homes are safe,” said Assemblyman Land. “Proposing to take away the funds used to help the families of fallen firefighters to plug a budget shortfall is simply unacceptable.”

Firefighters and first responders across the State and the Nation are increasingly being treated for PTSD and other work-related illnesses. This fund is used as a safety net for the men and women putting their lives on the line.

“The money in this fund is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the State budget,” said Assemblyman Milam. “But it absolutely means the world to these men and women who often serve their local communities for decades. We have to ensure that this fund stays in place, untouched.”

The legislators from the First District called on administration officials and members of the legislative budget committees to ensure that the funds are in place when the budget is passed later next month.