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<br />First Responders Roundtable Discussion <br /> <br />Each day, you and your team of dedicated first responders assure Minnesotans that <br />their homes, their schools, their businesses, their communities, and their lives will be <br />protected in the event of an emergency, <br /> <br />Grant SUDDort <br />· As you work to strengthen your operations, I want to make sure I do alii can to <br />support your application for federal public safety grants. <br /> <br />· The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program distributes competitive <br />grants to help local fire departments make upgrades to their emergency <br />response operations and improve firefighter health and safety programs. <br /> <br />· The SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant <br />Program provides funding for hiring firefighters and recruitment and retention of <br />volunteer firefighters. <br /> <br />. The Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Program provides support to help <br />you enhance the safety of both the public and firefighters. It helps fund activities <br />that mitigate incidences of death and injuries caused by fire and fire-related <br />hazards, especially in high-risk groups like firefighters, children, and seniors. <br /> <br />· The Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) provides <br />technology and equipment, as well as training and technical assistance, to local <br />first responders and public safety agencies. Equipment available includes <br />extrication devices; thermal imaging and night vision; video surveillance; <br />chemical, biological, and radiological detection tools; information technology; risk <br />. .- <br />management tool~; and covert vehicle tracking. _ <br /> <br />· If you decide to apply for the grant funding, I am happy to provide you with a <br />letter of support for your application. Please contact my Legislative Assistant <br />Brian Looser in my Washington office at Brian.Looser@mail.house.Qov or 202- <br />225-2331. <br /> <br />Leaislation <br />. Access to quality emergency care can mean the difference between life and <br />death. In the 110th Congress, I cosponsored H.R. 882, the Access to <br />Emergency Medical Services Act of 2007, to improve access to emergency <br />medical services and the quality of care furnished in emergency departments of <br />hospitals and critical access hospitals by establishing a bipartisan commission to <br />examine factors that affect the effective delivery of such services. I will become <br />an original cosponsor when the legislation is reintroduced in the 111 th Congress. <br /> <br />· Last Congress, with my support (cosponsorship and vote) the House passed <br />H.R. 980, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2007. <br />This legislation, which guarantees collective bargaining rights for every fire fighter <br />[and police officer] in the nation. <br />