Feds dole out money for Georgia fire grants

(The Center Square) — Federal officials recently announced a series of grants for fire departments across Georgia, but should the federal government be making such an investment given the burgeoning national debt?

U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both D-Georgia, said the money is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program and Fire Prevention and Safety Program.

"Firefighters are some of the most selfless public servants in our communities, and ensuring they have the equipment and resources to do their jobs is how we can best express our gratitude for their service," Warnock said in a statement announcing the grants.

The more than $6.9 million for 21 grants range from $8,095.23 for fire prevention and safety efforts in Statesboro to $1 million for vehicle acquisition in Lamar County.

Daniel Cabrera, the owner and founder of Sell My House Fast SA TX told The Center Square via email that federal funding for such programs is a "cost-effective national investment," adding that a "greater and better-equipped local emergency response network reduces the danger of a major disaster that may be more expensive in the long run."

While shifting the responsibility to local taxpayers "may be more responsible in terms of the reduction of [the] national debt, it places local taxpayers with a burden that can be overwhelming to smaller jurisdictions, especially in rural areas," Cabrera said. "Most of these localities do not have the type of tax base needed to support critical upgrades in services concerning public safety without federal aid."

Cabrera said officials could opt for a hybrid funding approach in which federal grants support initial investments or cover the cost for poorer jurisdictions while wealthier areas use local funds. Such an approach, Cabrera said, would "ease the federal burden while making sure that core services are not jeopardized," adding that weighing the national debt against public safety "should balance each other."

"The question to ask, really, is not necessarily whether these things should be paid for with federal money or not but, more so, if the lack of investment in public safety now might well turn out to be costlier, both economically and in human lives, in years to come," Cabrera said.