[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 19, 2023)] [Senate] [Pages S1219-S1227] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-19
Chamber: SENATE
Ms. KLOBUCHAR: I am here to talk about the Fire Grants and Safety Act. I do appreciate the words of my colleague. It was good to hear his concerns, and I think we all share concerns about Americans being spied on and their data. I also note that as we look at dealing with platforms and social media and the like at the same time we pursue this, we must pursue the bills that have been out there for well over a year now and passed through the Judiciary Committee last year and will do so again. And those are bills related to monopoly power; bills related to the incredible imbalance in power with two of the platforms, Google and Facebook, when it comes to dealing with small newspapers and radio stations and TV and their content, a bill that was nearly passed at the end of last year; another bill that Senator Grassley and I have that speaks to the fact that other countries in the world are now putting forth regulations and rules about self-preferencing and the unfairness to our small businesses; and then, of course, other bills, some of which are in the Commerce Committee, on privacy and children's issues and the like. All of these bills must be considered on this floor because, as noted by my colleague, we have not passed any rules when it comes to not only the issues he was addressing but also when it comes to a competition tech policy since the advent of the internet. I think we know a lot more than we knew when Facebook was in a garage. We know a lot more, and it is time for us to get up to speed and to actually pass some rules and stop talking about it.  S. 870  So I rise today in support of the Fire Grants and Safety Act. I would like to thank Senators Peters, Collins, Carper, and Murkowski for their leadership. Our communities are strongest and safest when local fire departments have the funding that they need to hire firefighters and pay for equipment. We all know that firefighters do lifesaving work. They are there for us during house fires, car crashes, medicalemergencies, and so much more, and I am committed to being there for them. Over the past several months, I have visited fire halls across my State. I have heard from local departments in both cities and rural communities about how important the Assistance for Firefighters Grant and the SAFER Grant Programs are to them. That is why we must pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act to ensure that we continue providing Federal funding for these critical programs. Local fire departments in Minnesota and across the country rely on these programs to invest in training and purchasing critically needed equipment. I have seen some of these firetrucks in small communities, like in Houston, MN, firetrucks that are outdated, things that need to be changed. Fires burn just as strong and are just as dangerous in small rural communities as they are in a big city. Yet they don't have the equipment that some of the larger communities have. We also must support fire departments' efforts to hire and retain trained firefighters so they can keep our communities safe. Because of a SAFER grant, for instance, the Minneapolis Fire Department was able to hire 15 additional firefighters, which means an additional 5 firefighters on every shift, and it helped the department to reduce reliance on overtime shifts, which in the end saves money. Thanks to another of these grants, Bloomington, MN--the home of the Mall of America for those listening today who are looking for a great place to visit--which has been facing a serious shortage of staff in the fire department there, was able to add 18 full-time firefighters and will now have firetrucks available 24 hours a day. That is one of the biggest cities in my State. As a result of an assistance for firefighters grant, the Duluth Fire Department sent 40 firefighters to a training program to reduce emergency response time and increase safety for firefighters. And let me tell you, in Duluth, they don't just fight fires; they have people stranded on icefloes in the middle of Lake Superior. They have all kinds of disasters that maybe some of our warmer States do not experience that they must respond to each and every day, including how to get to fire hydrants when they are surrounded by six feet of snow. In the town of Proctor, which has a population of just over 3,100, because of one of these grants, the local fire department there was able to purchase 20 air packs, including five with thermal imaging cameras, and get a new set of cutting-edge rescue tools. I think many of my colleagues have similar stories about how important these resources are to fire departments.  One of the things that I learned in my last few years of visiting with our firefighters and chiefs is that, in fact, one of the major problems facing them is not always discussed. And that is similar to what so many of our veterans have faced when they were stationed next to burn pits, and that is what is happening with a number of our firefighters getting cancer and, sadly, perishing from cancer at very young ages. Cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters. Firefighters can be exposed to hundreds of potential carcinogens when responding to fires. It is only right that we treat cancer caused by on-the-job exposure the same way we treat other physical injuries. Two solutions here: One is, with these fire grants, helping, especially, smaller departments that didn't have them to get up-to-date washing machines, up-to-date dryers that do a much better job and quicker job in terms of cleaning off this equipment, because the stuff that is burning in these buildings--just as what has happened with our veterans--that wasn't being burnt 20, 30, 50, 100 years ago. We know that is what part of the problem is. The second is to make sure we take care of them, not just in our words as well as speaking from the Senate floor, but in what we actually do to have the backs of their families. To truly do right by our firefighters, we have to look out for those who tragically get cancer as a result of their service. That is why Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and I have joined forces and introduced a bill to do just that. This, for me, goes back to 2018, when I championed the bill to create a national firefighter cancer registry, along with Senator Menendez and others. Senator Cramer's and my bill is called Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, and it would make sure that firefighters who become disabled or die from cancer as a result of their service get the benefits that they deserve. We must make sure that our firefighters have everything they need to do their job. It is the least we can do for our heroes who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. I am excited to support this bill, and I see Senator Peters is here and has been such a great leader on this issue. Mr. President, I yield the floor.