Peters tours Dearborn fire station to talk about grant funding, two new bills

Firefighters in Dearborn use high-end lifesaving equipment on a daily basis — both for fires and more frequently during traffic accidents.

Much of that equipment, and that which they use to train on, had been funded in whole or in part through federal grants.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, toured Dearborn Fire Station No. 2 recently to talk with Fire Chief Joseph Murray, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and members of the Fire Department.

Peters was there to discuss a new bill to reauthorize the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) programs.

Dearborn has seen millions of dollars in funds from those two grants. Peters said that unless his new bill passes to reauthorize those two grants, those funds soon will go away.

While in Dearborn, he was treated to a demonstration of some of the equipment, including a battery-operated Jaws of Life and cutting tools used to remove glass and even the roof of a vehicle after it’s been involved in a crash.

“We use these tools every day,” Murray told Peters.

Peters said the funding that Dearborn, and many other departments across the country get, is “critical.”

“Firefighters put their lives on the line each and every day to protect our communities – and they should be able to count on Congress to have their backs as they risk their health and safety,” Peters said. “That is why we must work to pass my bipartisan legislation to extend these in-demand grant programs that fire stations in Michigan and across the nation depend on to safeguard our communities and improve health and safety outcomes for firefighters and other emergency personnel.”

The bill is called the Fire Grants and Safety Act. Peters introduced it in the Senate in September, but it is still in committee.

“I applaud Senator Peters for his continued leadership on the Fire Grants and Safety Act and the PFAS Act,” Hammoud said. “Both pieces of legislation will improve the health and safety outcomes for our brave firefighters who have dedicated their lives to protecting others. I am thankful to Senator Peters for his work to support our communities.”

The PFAS Act is set to fight against perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have been used in foam that fire departments use to stop fires for decades. While Dearborn has cleaned up its use, PFAS are still prevalent across the country. That bill has already passed and will be signed into law soon.

During his tour, Murray showed Peters a table filled with everything from high-end equipment to turnout gear and said everything on the table was bought with grant funds. Next to the table were two large pieces of training equipment that firefighters use to learn to navigate an enclosed area between beams in a house, or an area filled with wires in a drop ceiling area. Next to those, was a ladder truck that cost about $1 million. Those were all purchased with grant funds, as well.

“Nothing in the fire services is cheap,” Murray said. “It has to be well built. So many lives depend on it, so it comes with a healthy price tag. Having that AFG assistance is very important for us.”

Dearborn got a SAFER Grant this year, the third since they have been offered. This one allowed the city to hire 12 firefighters.

“Best practices on a 2,000-square-foot house fire is to have 16 firefighters on scene,” Murray said. “That would be very difficult for us to do without the additional firefighters from these grants. That has exponentially increased our safety on fires.”

This round of SAFER Grant gave the city $3,780,230. Those funds are only able to be used to hire, recruit or retain staff.

Dearborn also got $225,854 for operations and safety from the AFG grant program this year.

Overall, the city has gotten about $9 million dollars in grants from these programs in the last decade.

“I’d like to thank Senator Peters for leading efforts to protect firefighters in Dearborn and across the country,” Murray said. “His efforts to reauthorize critical federal programs that our Departments rely on and reduce firefighters’ exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals shows his unique understanding of our needs and continued commitment to keeping first responders safe. I am grateful for his service and look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”

Since 2013, the department has used the funding to hire additional personnel, acquire new vehicles and purchase new nozzles, saws, and ventilation fans. Last year, they used funding from the AFG program to fund cancer screenings for 120 firefighters.

In 2021, Michigan fire departments received nearly $11 million from the AFG program and more than $8 million from the SAFER grant program.