WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced $1,475,883.99 in funding for the city of Pharr to hire new firefighters. This funding is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Fiscal Year 2019 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program which is designed to strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards and improve the nation’s preparedness. This competitive grant is made available to fire departments statewide and local volunteer firefighter support groups. The Safer Program helps our community increase the number of frontline fire fighters, creates a more favorable working environment for firefighters, encourages current ...