The figures for fire service programs under the Department of Homeland Security began to come into focus in June as both chambers of Congress worked on FY 2005 DHS appropriations bills.

The House passed a $32 billion DHS appropriations bill (H.R. 4567) on June 18, a $2.8 billion (9.4%) increase over this year's enacted levels and $896 million (2.9%) more than the president's budget. The bill includes $4.1 billion for state and local first responders, including grants for equipping and training first responders and for homeland security preparedness and response.

The Senate DHS appropriations bill had not yet come to the floor for a vote, but on June 17 the Senate also released a $32 billion spending bill for DHS approved by its appropriations committee. The bill was expected on the floor within weeks.

In coming months, the two bills will be reconciled before going back to both houses for a final vote. Programs with the most direct impact on local fire departments include:

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The House Appropriations bill cuts the program appropriation next year to $600 million from the current $750 million level. The Senate Committee's version funds the program at $700 million.

Cuts proposed for the program were at odds with comments from House Appropriations Committee members, who expressed concern that DHS funding was bottlenecked at the state level. According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, committee members were deeply concerned at the lack of preparedness standards for first responders.

“The FIRE Act is one of the few federal grant programs that goes directly to local governments in a fair and efficient manner and is used only for the purposes intended. The IAFC will continue to make this point to Senate appropriators,” IAFC officials said.

The House Committee also included language requesting that FIRE Act money not be used solely for terrorism preparedness, as the president's budget has requested, but rather that the funding continue to support basic preparedness needs, as it has in the past.

Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Program. The SAFER Act received a $50 million appropriation for FY 2005 in the bill passed in the House, thanks to an amendment introduced on the floor by Reps. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) and Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), co-chairs of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. If funded, the program will establish a competitive grant program that makes direct grants to local fire departments to support hiring, training, recruiting and retaining career and volunteer firefighters.

Harold A. Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, praised the House action as an important first step. “In this time of tight budgets, when other domestic programs are being slashed, it is very difficult to find any money for new programs. I am grateful that the members of the House of Representatives recognized the need to provide funding for SAFER,” Schaitberger said.

As written, the Senate's DHS appropriations bill had no SAFER funding, but the IAFC, the IAFF and other major fire service organizations were pressing to secure funding from that chamber as well.

State Homeland Security grants. The House appropriations bill cuts basic state grants by $450 million, or 27%, to $1.25 billion. The Senate Committee cuts the state formula grants to $940 million. The states are required to distribute 80% of the funding to local jurisdictions.

Urban-Area Security Initiative. This grant program, intended to move homeland security funding to high-threat urban areas, receives substantial increases under both the approved House bill and proposed Senate bill. Under the House bill, it receives $1 billion, with no less than $100 million for rail security; the Senate appropriations committee proposes $875 million for the initiative.

The bills also promote interoperable communications and first responder training.