Two local fire chiefs recently traveled with ten others from Louisiana to attend the Congressional Fire Services Institute and meet with the U.S. Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
Westlake Fire Chief Jacques Picou and Carlyss Fire Chief Jude Savoie represented Calcasieu Parish. Besides representing their local departments, they also represented the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association as Chief Savoie is the immediate Past President and Chief Picou is the District 5 representative.
Both fire officials had a chance to speak to the delegation and discuss the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), along with the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs.
The AFG program awards one-year matching grants to fire departments and certain EMS agencies. In addition, the SAFER program provides grants to fire departments for hiring firefighters and to regional and state fire associations to implement volunteer recruitment and retention programs. Carlyss applied for and received an AFG grant last year for about $100,000 and used the money to purchase radios for the new state radio system.
Both grants generally go directly to fire departments within months and are among the most cost efficient of all federal grants because the award goes directly to the fire departments.
The chiefs also asked for support of passage of the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act. As it stands now, when volunteers are requested to respond to declared disasters, their primary jobs can be at risk. Under the proposed legislation, the jobs of volunteers would be protected for up to 14 days and their employer would not be required to compensate them when they are on a response.
The group also asked for more funding for the U.S. Fire Administration, which provides training and coordination, performs research and conducts specialized training courses as well as advanced management programs through its National Fire Academy (NFA) campus in Emmitsburg, Md. Courses are also available online and around the country through its Regional Delivery Program. The authorized level of funding for USFA is approximately $70 million; however, the group received less than $45 million in the last fiscal year. The NFA is the premier training facility for chief fire officers in the world and attending classes at their Emmitsburg facility is very affordable as the only cost not paid by the NFA is for meals.
Another topic of discussion was the passage of the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act. Currently, businesses that voluntarily retrofit their buildings with sprinklers are eligible for a tax depreciation of the cost over a period over 39 years; the proposed legislation would change the deprecation to five years.
