Current Events Assignment
Rebecca Jordan
Liberty University, Helms School of Government
FIRE 320: Legal and Political Issues in Fire Administration
Professor Greg Wormser
June 30, 2025
Current Event Assignment
In fire administration, legal and political events refer to events or issues arising from the
legal framework, legislative processes, and political environment that impact the administration
and operations of fire departments and the broader fire service. These events can influence
legal aspects such as the responsibilities, liabilities, accountability, and integrity of fire service
professionals, as well as employment, administrative, operational, planning and code
enforcement matters. Political aspects that can be affected include pay scales, work
assignments, collective bargaining agreements, promotions, hiring processes, and legislative
processes. For example, there is ongoing effort within the legislative branch of the United States
government to reauthorize the Assistance for Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for
Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs.
“The legislative branch is responsible for creating laws and imposing taxes (Varone,
2014)” as well as control the power of the purse and appropriate federal funds for various
programs and initiatives. The AFG and SAFER programs were both created in early two thousand
to provide funds from the federal government to support local departments. The AFG program
provides funding for equipment, training and other important needs for local fire departments
while SAFER focuses on staffing, helping departments hire and retain firefighters to meet
industry standards and address staffing shortages. In 2017, Congress and the United States
Fire Administration worked together to reauthorize these two programs with the
Reauthorization Act of 2017 which extended the sunset provisions until September 30, 2024
(Congressional Fire Services Institute, 2025).
Last year in 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law on March 23, 2024 the Further
Consolidated Act, which provided funding to various federal programs including those related to
the fire service. However, while it increased funding for some of the programs, it also reduced
funding for others. Specifically, it reduced funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs by ten percent,
with each receiving only $324 million (FEMA, 2025). Then in July of 2024, President Biden
signed the Fire Grants and Safety Act (S.870) reauthorizing the AFG and SAFER programs
through fiscal year 2028 and extended their sunset date to September 30, 2030.
When it comes to the reauthorization of these programs, there are both legal and
political dimensions. The legal dimensions include legislative authority which requires an act of
Congress to amend or extend the legislation as well as the extension of the sunset clauses for
each program. There is also the issue of grant usage. Legally, AFG funds can be used for
equipment, training, and facility upgrades, while SAFER supports the hiring and retention of
firefighters – including transitioning part-time to full-time roles (R-VA-10, 2017). This aids in the
provisions for oversight, fraud prevention, and training accessibility. On the other hand, political
dimensions for these programs include bipartisan support which in this case passed the Senate
with a vote of
88-2 (AFG and SAFER Reauthorization Bill Passes Senate, Sent to President to Become Law | Fire
News, 2025). There is also advocacy coalition, congressional champions, local impact framing
and budget politics.
Reauthorizing the AFG and SAFER programs presents a fascinating intersection of policy,
operational science, and leadership artistry in fire administration. Like any topic, there are
always challenges and opportunities. With this reauthorization the challenges that are faced
include data-driven allocation vs. local realities where the grant distribution may not always
align with local needs or evolving hazards, sustainability of staffing gains where departments
often face budget cliffs when the grant ends which challenges long-term workforce planning,
training gaps and certification standards due to many departments still report unmet needs in
specialized training and reauthorization does not mandate national training standards thus
leaving gaps in interoperability and readiness, and equity and access where smaller or rural
departments may lack the administrative capacity to compete for grants, despite having acute
operational needs thus challenging the “art” of fire administration – balancing fairness, politics,
and strategic prioritization.
On the other hand, the opportunities include modernizing fire service capabilities where
the grants can be used to upgrade aging PPE, SCBA, and apparatuses which supports the science
of risk mitigation and enhances response effectiveness. Reauthorization can also advance
diversity and recruitment because the SAFER grant can fund recruitment and retention
programs, allowing fire departments to build more diverse and resilient teams, data collection
and innovation helps aid in decision making that is evidence-based, and leadership
development where departments can invest in command-level education, fostering a new
generation of fire officers skilled in both technical acumen and human-centered leadership.
In short, the reauthorization is not just a budgetary win, but it is a strategic inflection
point for the fire service. A powerful verse that resonates with the spirit behind the AFG and
SAFER reauthorization – supporting those who serve and protect – is 1 Peter 4:10 “As every man
hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God”. This verse beautifully captures the heart of fire administration: using
one’s skills, courage, and calling to serve the community. Whether it’s through staffing, training,
or equipment upgrades, these programs empower departments to live out that calling with
excellence and compassion.
References
AFG and SAFER Reauthorization Bill Passes Senate, Sent to President to Become Law |
Fire News. (2025). Firenews.com. https://firenews.com/afg-and-safer-reauthorization-bill-
passessenate-sent-to-president-to-become-law/
Congressional Fire Service Institute. (2025, April 3). The U.S. Fire Administration –
Congressional Fire Services Institute.
https://cfsi.org/legislation-advocacy/current-legislation/the-u-s-fire-administration/
FEMA. (2025, April 24). FY 2024 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Congressionally Directed
Spending. US Department of Homeland Security. Fema.gov.
https://fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/pre-disaster/fy2024-congressionally-
directedspending#:~:text=On%20March%2023%2C%202024%2C%20President,support
%20growing%2
0mitigation%20needs%20nationwide.
R-VA-10, B. (2017). H.R.4661 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): United States Fire
Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017. Congress.gov.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4661
The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1982.
Varone, J. C. (2014). Legal Considerations for Fire & Emergency Services (Third
Edition). PennWell Corporation, Tulsa, OK.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781593703479/pageid/2
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
