Tester Secures $7 Million for Missoula to Hire More Firefighters

Funding will boost staffing through FEMA grant program

Continuing his efforts to support local fire departments and increase staffing, U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured $7 million for the City of Missoula to hire more firefighters. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester secured this funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program through the 2023 government funding bill. Tester was the only member of Montana's congressional delegation to vote for the legislation.

"When disaster strikes, Montana's local fire departments are there to answer the call, but in order to do that, they've got to have enough folks on staff," said Tester. "That's why I'm proud to have secured this funding for the City of Missoula to hire and train more firefighters and ensure that the Missoula Fire Department is staffed up-because when our firefighters are supported, our communities are safer."

Tester has been Montana's leading champion for firefighters. In July, Senator Tester's Fire Grants and Safety Act was signed into law. This legislation reauthorized the SAFER and Assistance for Firefighter Grants (AFG) through 2028. AFG and SAFER are the main sources of federal funding for firefighters and help departments purchase equipment and increase staffing and are particularly important to small, rural, and volunteer fire departments across Montana. Last month, Tester secured more than $300,000 in Assistance to Firefighters Grants for the Fire Services Training School affiliated with Montana State University.

Tester currently serves as Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, he also recently secured $648 million for AFG and SAFER in the 2024 government funding bill.

You can read more about Tester's efforts to support state and federal firefighters HERE.