Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) yesterday urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to give full and fair consideration to all 746 applications from Wisconsin fire departments for FIRE Act grants. Feingold emphasized the success and importance of FIRE grants in Wisconsin in a letter to the Acting Deputy Administrator of the National Preparedness Directorate at FEMA, Corey Gruber. FIRE grants have helped hundreds of Wisconsin fire departments obtain better equipment, improve training and upgrade facilities in order to better protect Wisconsin communities.

“We need to make every effort to ensure our brave firefighters have the equipment and training they need to keep our communities safe,” Feingold said. “Wisconsin firefighters consistently tell me how critical these grants are. I strongly support the FIRE Grant program to ensure Wisconsin firefighters have the resources they need to protect Wisconsin families.”

Feingold has long been a strong supporter of FIRE grants. After the President tried to cut funding for grants to firefighters to $300 million in next year's budget, Senator Feingold urged the Appropriations Committee to fully fund grants to firefighters. The Senate Appropriations Committee subsequently recommended $700 million in funding for grants to firefighters in 2008. Last year, Wisconsin was awarded 164 Assistance to Firefighters Grants totaling over $13.7 million to help keep communities throughout Wisconsin safe. Feingold wrote 80 letters in support of FIRE grants for Wisconsin firefighters last year.