PATERSON— U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, announced today that the City of Passaic Fire Department has been awarded a $1,094,988 federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

"I am proud to help deliver these critical federal funds back to the City of Passaic. The Fire Department can add six new firefighters based on the grant funding," said Rep. Pascrell, who was a prime author and mover of both the SAFER Act and the FIRE Act.

"Passaic will be better served by this funding and its resident will be better protected by the brave men and women of the fire services. I'm proud to see the program I began is continuing to deliver to the cities and towns that need it most."

The City of Passaic is expected to hire up to six new full-time firefighters with the grant funding. Passaic has received a total of $2,625,292 since 2011 through the SAFER program.

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the grant program in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. SAFER grants are awarded through a federal program that Pascrell helped create which funds fire departments to hire, recruit, and retain firefighters nationwide.

"Our department was in the position of having to shut down one of our companies for most of the summer, so this grant will have a direct and immediate impact on the safety of not only our citizens, but on our fire personnel as well," said Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost.

"This couldn’t have come at better time. We appreciate all of the support from the Congressional delegation, most importantly Congressman Pascrell."

The SAFER program makes grants to local fire departments to hire, recruit, and retain firefighters nationwide. Rep. Pascrell saw the FIRE Act signed into law by President Clinton in 2000.

Since the FIRE Act and SAFER were initially authorized, in FY2001 and 2005, respectively, they have provided more than $6.5 billion in grants to local fire departments to purchase equipment and hire firefighters.

Since 2001, New Jersey fire departments have received over $206.8 million in funding for the SAFER program since 2005.