WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, alongside U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) welcomed $335,865 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support Granite State firefighters in Portsmouth and Laconia through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. The AFG program provides direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments in order to enhance the safety of firefighters and the public.

Specifically, $333,294 is heading to the Portsmouth Fire Department to purchase firefighter breathing apparatus equipment, and $28,571 is heading to Laconia Fire Department for firefighting ventilation fans.

“Our firefighters put their lives on the line to respond to emergencies and keep our communities safe, and they deserve the best equipment possible to do their jobs. I’m proud to welcome this funding to ensure ventilation and breathing equipment is available for firefighters in Portsmouth and Laconia,” said Senator Shaheen. “As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee that secures this funding, I’ll continue advocating for the resources needed to support our first responders.”

“New Hampshire fire fighters put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and it is critical that we provide them with the resources that they need,” said Senator Hassan. “These federal grants will provide critical funding to help fire fighters protect our communities and keep themselves safe while doing so. I look forward to continuing to work to support our fire fighters.”

“Firefighters across our state put themselves in harm’s way each and every day to protect our communities from dangerous fires and emergency situations,” said Rep. Kuster. “We must ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to respond to calls and do their jobs safely. I’m pleased to see this funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program heading to New Hampshire and I will continue working to support our Granite State first responders.”

“New Hampshire firefighters and first responders risk their lives every day to keep us safe. These funds will upgrade equipment that will protect firefighters serving our communities,” said Rep. Pappas. “It’s critical that our first responders have the tools and resources they need to do their job, and I’ll continue to make these investments a priority.”

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen has consistently fought to support New Hampshire firefighters. In funding legislation for fiscal year (FY) 2023 that was passed by Congress and signed into law, Shaheen secured $370 million for the AFG program, and helped include $370 million for the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) program, which provides grants directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. In total, the FY23 law will provide a $20 million increase in funding for firefighters compared with the enacted FY 2022 funding level.