WASHINGTON – A day after the downtown Buffalo blaze that claimed the life of a city firefighter, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Thursday warned that federal funding for programs that aid local fire departments is about to run out.
The funding authorization for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program is set to expire on Sept. 30. But in a conference call with reporters, Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he is sponsoring legislation that would extend the programs to 2030.
“I’m here to sound the alarm and to announce my push to lead the effort to save these critical federal firefighter programs with a new bill,” Schumer said.
The federal legislation has brought nearly $700 million to New York over the past 20 years.
Buffalo won a $10 million grant under the programs in 2019 to hire 50 additional firefighters. In 2021, the Niagara Falls Fire Department received $314,718 to purchase new breathing equipment for use by firefighters. And just last month, the Jamestown Fire Department was awarded $1.8 million to hire eight firefighters and $284,291 for new radios and other equipment.
“He had his whole future in front of him, an exemplary firefighter and employee, just a great all-around person. No one ever had anything negative to say about firefighter Arno,” Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said.
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