RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces New $660,000 Federal Investment Clawed Back to Jersey to Support Englewood Firefighters

Above: Gottheimer announcing new federal investments clawed back to the Englewood Fire Department.

ENGLEWOOD, NJ - Today, November 17, 2025, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) announced a new $662,784 federal investment clawed back to the Englewood Fire Department to support live fire training and to hire two additional firefighters. These new federal dollars - secured through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program - will strengthen emergency response, improve firefighter training and safety, and help lower the local property tax burden for residents.

Overall, during his time in Congress, Gottheimer has clawed back more than $20 million for fire departments across New Jersey's Fifth District.

New Federal Investments Gottheimer Helped Claw Back to North Jersey:

• $247,147 Clawed Back to Englewood Fire Department for Live Fire Training: This AFG grant will fund National Fire Protection Association compliant, hands-on live fire train training for Englewood firefighters, giving them access to high-risk, scenario-based instruction that prepares them for the most dangerous rescues.

• $415,637 Clawed Back to Englewood Fire Department to Hire Firefighters: This SAFER grant will allow the Englewood Fire Department to hire and maintain two new full-time firefighters, helping ensure adequate staffing around the clock and faster emergency response for the local community.

By clawing back more federal dollars to North Jersey communities and first responders, Gottheimer is helping lift significant costs off of local town budgets and helping provide critical tax relief to North Jersey residents on their property tax line.

Video of Gottheimer's announcement can be found here.

"These investments make our communities and families safer and protect local taxpayers' wallets. That's because the more federal tax dollars we claw back to Jersey, the less our towns have to charge in local property taxes - which are already way too high. I'm all about lowering taxes and doing everything we can to make life more affordable. To me, it's all about making sure you can afford to work, live, and stay in Jersey with your families. Clawing back investments for our communities is a win-win-win - for our families, for our first responders, for our communities. By clawing back major grants, we're making sure that Jersey gets what it deserves," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. "As ready as our fire departments are for every challenge, even on a good day, they are often left fighting for resources to protect our communities. It's impossible to protect us without the basic resources to train and do your job safely and effectively. I'm proud to announce today that we are clawing back a new monumental federal investment from Washington to North Jersey - more than $660,000 to Englewood this year alone."

These new federal investments build on Gottheimer's years-long work to claw more federal dollars back to North Jersey from Washington. Since 2022, Gottheimer has helped secure nearly $4 million for Englewood alone through AFG and SAFER grants. Overall, Gottheimer has clawed back more than $20 million for fire departments throughout the Fifth District since 2017. These resources support new emergency equipment, training, hiring and retention efforts, and critical public safety upgrades in communities across North Jersey.

The Englewood Fire Department belongs to two mutual aid groups: the East Bergen Fire Mutual Aid Group and the Mid Bergen Mutual Aid Group, which makes up more than one-third of Bergen County.

Gottheimer was joined today by Englewood Fire Department Chief Jeff Kaplan, Englewood Police Chief Thomas Grieley, John Herrmann of IAFF Local 3260, Ray Rodriguez of IAFF Local 3263, Englewood Council President Dr. Lisa Wisotsky, and Englewood firefighters and first responders.

Below: Gottheimer announcing new federal investments clawed back to the Englewood Fire Department, alongside Englewood Fire Chief Jeff Kaplan, local leaders, and first responders.

Gottheimer's full remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

Good morning. It is an honor to be back here at the firehouse with our brave first responders, who literally work around-the-clock to keep us safe.

Every day, these heroes answer the siren at a moment's notice to protect innocent lives. You never even hesitate to answer the call, putting yourself in harm's way to protect our families and communities not only from fires, but also from floods, terror, natural disasters, and other threats to our homeland. And we cannot forget the critical work you do on the EMT front.

But let's be honest: as ready as you are for every challenge, as we've discussed here before, even on a good day, you and your departments are often left fighting for resources to protect our communities. And it's impossible to protect us without the basic resources to train and do your job safely and effectively. So, today, I'm bringing good news.

Working together with phenomenal leaders like Englewood Chief Jeff Kaplan, Mayor Wildes, the City Council, PFANJ President Matt Caliente, John Herrmann from IAFF Local 3260, and Ray Rodriguez from IAFF Local 3263 - I'm proud to announce today that we are clawing back a new monumental federal investment from Washington to North Jersey. This includes more than $415,000 from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant - or SAFER grant - and $247,000 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants or AFG grants. In total, that's more than $660,000 to Englewood this year alone.

Last year, I announced here a $161,702 investment through AFG to help the Englewood Fire Department better respond and rescue residents from elevators, machines, and some very harrowing industrial machine accidents. Also, last year, we clawed back more than a million dollars from Washington through the SAFER grant to help this department hire and maintain the best talent possible to help keep our community safe. Back in 2023, we helped Englewood claw back nearly $1.8 million to hire and retain six full-time firefighters, which has made a huge difference for this community.

If I have this right, in total, since I started representing you in Congress in 2022, we've clawed back nearly $4 million from Washington for the Englewood fire department through SAFER, AFG grants, and the American Rescue Plan. And given how much you do on mutual aid, these dollars will have a significant impact on towns and communities all over Bergen County. Since I was elected, working with our local departments, I've helped claw back more than 20 million in funding for AFG, SAFER, ARP, and Community Project Funding grants to our towns and cities overall across the Fifth District - it's a monumental achievement, and I know those investments are paying dividends when it comes to emergency response and public safety.

The need to equip firefighters with safe, efficient, and compliant training is absolutely critical to keeping them, and us, protected. So, these latest investments will help Englewood's firefighters take a live fire training course - preparing them for some of their highest-risk rescues.

Fires also don't just happen between 9 to 5, so we need enough firefighters ready to respond around the clock. The SAFER grant investments we are announcing today will help the Department hire two new full-time firefighters right here in Englewood, which I know the great team here is excited about.

Year in and year out, as a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I have fought to increase funding for AFG and SAFER grants. We know they make a huge difference in helping our often cash-strapped local departments invest in everything from new trucks and ambulances to air packs, and to help hire, train, and retain firefighters. Since 2018, we've clawed back more than $16 million for thirty-nine towns across North Jersey through AFG and SAFER, including Park Ridge, Harrington Park, the Township of Washington, and so many more.

In 2024, I helped pass the Fire Grants Safety Act into law, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the AFG and SAFER programs for another five years. I've also helped claw back more than two million dollars for fire departments in the Fifth District through the American Rescue Plan, which included dollars for new personal protective equipment, oxygen tanks, and cleaning equipment for our firefighters, ensuring they had what they needed to protect themselves.

Together, these investments make our communities and families safer and protect local taxpayers' wallets. That's because the more federal tax dollars we claw back to Jersey, the less our towns have to charge in local property taxes - which are already way too high. I'm all about lowering taxes and doing everything we can to make life more affordable. To me, it's all about making sure you can afford to work, live, and stay in Jersey with your families.

Clawing back investments for our communities is a win-win-win - for our families, for our first responders, for our communities. By clawing back major grants, we're making sure that Jersey gets what it deserves. Jersey historically has received about 67 cents for every dollar we send to Washington; that's about four times less than Moocher States like Mississippi and West Virginia.

My dad has always said to me, "If you don't ask, you don't get." And, for too long, North Jersey, specifically the Fifth District, didn't fight for federal grants, whether that was hoses to help our firefighters fight a five-alarm fire or radios to help our EMTs stay connected in times of emergency. We left money on the table by not applying, which was swept up by Red States that I lovingly call the "Moocher States." Over the last years, working together, we've changed that - and we need to continue to fight to claw dollars back to Jersey.

Just like I promised you last year when I visited here: this is just the beginning. I hope to join you back here again next year to celebrate even more investments to protect our communities. At the end of the day, there's nothing partisan about protecting our communities and equipping our first responders. Thanks for getting our backs. You'll hear me say it over and over: we must always get the backs of those who have ours. Here in the greatest country in the world, I know that if we stand together with those who protect us, our best days will always be ahead.

May God bless you, your families, and all of our first responders.

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