Did you get a federal grant? Thank your elected officials!
A number of area fire departments have received grants from the Department of Homeland Security, you know, the folks that we often refer to as FEMA. Well, just to be politically correct, those of us who work for the federal government now have to say Department of Homeland Security. That's really not the point here. The point is that departments seeing the grants will be able to benefit for many years. For that matter, everybody benefits. The fire department benefits and so does the community. It's a great program and we need to keep it that way.
If you've been lucky enough to get a grant, thank your elected federal representatives. These folks are under a lot of pressure these days to cut programs in order to keep the federal deficit under control. They're also under pressure from other groups who would just love to get their hands on this funding. Many domestic programs are in dire need of dollars. It would be very easy to divert our federal fire grant monies to other places. We need to remind those in Congress that we need these funds, especially since state and local funding sources are quickly drying up.
Take the time to write to these officials. And, at the very least, call their offices and tell them how much these grants mean to your fire department and the people you serve. Without this kind of support, we could lose this precious funding and that would be a shame. If you didn't get a grant, thank your lawmakers anyway. You could be the next one to receive a grant, that is, if the program is still there. We need to keep up the pressure. We need to continue to build the support. Without it, our program, like so many before, could be history. Let's keep up the fight for funding our fire departments!