The $2.2 trillion CARES Act is doing far too little to help the men and women of the fire and EMS service fighting on the front lines during this global pandemic. I continue to receive myriad reports of little or no PPE in your fire departments because of depleted inventories and decimated budgets because of overtime to cover those out sick and quarantined.
To help the IAFC make its best case to President Trump and Congress for additional federal funding, we have developed the IAFC COVID-19 PPE Readiness & Availability Assessment Survey. Completing the survey should take less than 10 minutes. It is critical that we arm ourselves with data and present it to our federal government representatives to clearly illustrate our desperate needs.
Specifically, in my letter to the president (pdf), the IAFC is requesting:
- $5 billion for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Programs (AFG) to support fire and EMS response to COVID-19.
- $5 billion in special funding for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs to support fire and EMS response to COVID-19.
Please complete this survey by noon, Monday, April 20, and help us help you — the warriors at the tip of the spear. Thank you for all you do every day keeping our communities safe.
PPE Readiness & Availability Survey.
Chief Ludwig is the 2020 IAFC President and Chairman of the Board