Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced $414,000 for the City of McAllen Fire Department. These funds are made available through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program of the Department of Homeland Security.

“This program is a great example of federal dollars being used to assist local communities,” said Congressman Cuellar. “As our representative in Congress, I’ll continue working to secure federal dollars for border communities.”

The SAFER grant program’s goal is to enhance the ability of local fire departments to attain and maintain 24- hour staffing and to assure that their communities have adequate protection from fire-related hazards. This program assists local communities by providing the financial assistance necessary to recruit, hire, train, and retain both volunteer and professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. The SAFER program provides competitive grants totaling approximately $103,000,000 to fire departments and statewide or local firefighter interest groups across the nation.

Congressman Cuellar continued, “As the new chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness & Response, I will continue to work to ensure that our local police and fire departments will have the tools to be effective in their communities. I’m honored to see the direct and concrete results of the committee’s work. And, I look forward to many more of these grant presentations here in McAllen. I’d also like to recognize Congressman Ruben Hinojosa for helping to make this grant a reality.”

“This is great news for our city because of our City’s explosive growth.  This grant will allow us to be responsive to the emergency demands placed on our fire department.  This will allow our firefighters to safely and efficiently mitigate hazards to the community.  We appreciate Congressman Cuellar’s efforts,” said Mayor Richard F. Cortez, City of McAllen.

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development, and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Majority Senior Whip.