‍PRESS RELEASE

‍

Contact Information:

Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ)

Matthew Caliente, President

mcaliente@newjerseyfirefighers.org

Release Date:
April 28, 2025

‍‍‍FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‍

PFANJ AND GOTTHEIMER FIGHT TO PROTECT FIRST RESPONDERS FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUTS

Englewood, NJ – April 28, 2025 – The Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have been working hard to combat the cuts from the Trump Administration that have negatively impacted the careers of our members and all first responders. These cuts include a reduction in services from these vital programs:

• National Firefighter Registry for Cancer
  
  • Established to track incidences of firefighter cancer to help understand and address the increased cancer risks faced by firefighters.
    
    
• World Trade Center Health Program
  
  • Cuts to this program threaten the healthcare of those who responded to the 9/11 attacks, including the many first responders from New Jersey who continue to suffer health consequences.  
    
    
• National Fire Academy
  
  • The shuttering of the academy and reductions in funding have resulted in the cancellation of training programs and classes that impact the quality of firefighter training nationwide.
    
    
• Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
  
  • The discontinuation of investigations into firefighter line of duty deaths, including the Port Newark Ship Fire, creates concerns for the safety of firefighters.
    
    
• U.S. Forest Service
  
  • Cuts to the Forest Service affect wildfire fighting capabilities, especially crucial given the increasing intensity of wildfires.  

Earlier this year our members lobbied on Capitol Hill to protect and expand many of these programs. After cuts were made, our Executive Board drafted a letter to our New Jersey congressional delegation, signed by all local Presidents, citing our concerns about the loss of these programs. That letter received a response from Congressman Josh Gottheimer. PFANJ President Matthew Caliente was joined by the members of Englewood Firefighters IAFF Local 3260 and Englewood Fire Officers IAFF Local 3263 at the Englewood Fire Headquarters to hear the announcement of Congressman Gottheimer’s new legislation, The Fight Fires and Fight Cancer Act, to stop the Administration from recklessly slashing programs that support firefighters’ safety, training, and health care. 

“These cuts have real consequences for our safety, for our health, and for the future of the fire service,” said PFANJ President Caliente. “We appreciate the members of Congress who are working to restore these critical programs to protect firefighter health and safety.” Congressman Gottheimer has also joined his fellow members of Congress to urge HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr to restore the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, reinstate 1,500 NIOSH employees, and provide a full explanation of how these cuts will impact the World Trade Center Health Program.

The Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ), was established and chartered as a State Association by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) on October 29, 1929. It is a member of the AFL-CIO. The PFANJ represents nearly 3,500 Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Instructors, and Dispatchers though its over 60 locals. This includes over 3,000 of New Jersey’s approximately 6,000 professional firefighters. Its local affiliates represent first responders who work in dispatch centers, academies, airports, fire districts, suburban municipalities, and the state’s largest and busiest urban fire departments.