Pascrell Announces $58K to Protect Garfield Firefighters from COVID-19

Bergen County department will receive federal CARES Act award to keep firefighters safe on the job

PATERSON, NJ – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $58,054 in CARES Act funding to the Garfield Fire Department. The funding was provided through the CARES Act Assistance to Firefighters – COVID-19 Supplemental (AFG-S) grant program, which Rep. Pascrell advocated for as the legislation was crafted. The award will be used to purchase life-saving personal protective equipment, or PPE, for Garfield’s Bravest.

“North Jersey’s firefighters are putting their lives on the line like never before. As COVID-19 continues to plague our nation, this federal aid for Garfield will help keep our first responders safe on the job. I am extremely proud that we were able to secure this grant for our firefighters,” said Rep. Pascrell, a longtime champion of robust federal support for America’s fire services. “House Democrats passed the CARES Act to provide immediate support to the American people and to bolster the vital public services we rely upon. That support included an additional $100 million in federal funding for our nation’s fire departments through the AFG program I helped create. But we didn’t stop there. We then passed the HEROES Act to provide even more resources for first responders and our communities. Our nation’s firefighters are on the frontlines of this battle and we must have their backs. I will continue to work with federal agencies to ensure North Jersey’s firefighters have every dollar they need to weather this crisis. And I will continue to push my colleagues to approve more support for first responders with the urgency this moment demands.”

Annual funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is provided by Rep. Pascrell’s Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act, which was signed into law in 2000 by President Bill Clinton. Administered by DHS’ Federal Emergency Management Agency, the AFG program provides direct support to eligible fire departments to help them meet the demanding and ever-evolving nature of their work.

Through his FIRE Act, Rep. Pascrell helps procure hundreds of thousands in federal support for New Jersey firefighters each year. The CARES Act provided $100 million in funding for the AFG program to help fire departments purchase personal protective equipment and supplies.

Since the outset of the pandemic, Rep. Pascrell has worked to secure millions in emergency federal funding to aid New Jersey in its fight against the virus. He also helped pass the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act to provide more immediate relief to every state and local government across the United States and needed relief for vital workers like first responders, health workers, and teachers keeping us safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

###