President Biden on Monday visited a shuttered firehouse in a Philadelphia neighborhood that suffered a deadly fire in January and announced a federal grant that will reopen the fire station.
He said that if the Ladder 1 firehouse had been open in January, maybe firefighters would have saved the 12 people, including nine children, who died that night in the Fairmount neighborhood.
“On the day of the Fairmount fire, if [this] company hadn’t been decommissioned, Ladder 1 would have been the closest truck to the fire,” Mr. Biden told the crowd of firefighters. “Maybe it would have saved some lives.”
Mr. Biden’s appearance is his latest effort to shore up support from the IAFF, whose members enjoy broad support across the political spectrum. Neither the local nor national union has endorsed a candidate ahead of the 2024 election.
He won the national union’s endorsement in 2020.
The trip marks the 19th time Mr. Biden has visited Philadelphia since taking office, far more than any place he’s traveled to outside of his home in Delaware.
Ladder 1 will reopen thanks to $22.4 million in federal funds Mr. Biden announced for the city’s fire departments. The money will also help open two other firehouses and pay for more recruits and more salaries for firefighters across the city.
Mr. Biden also boasted that he’s supported firefighters his whole career.
“You know when the worst happens and those alarms go off. When everyone and everything you love is in danger, there’s no better sight in the world than a firefighter ready to go to work.”
Mr. Biden said the funding will cover 72 firefighters’ salaries and benefits for three years. The money will come from the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, which is administered through FEMA and became available through last year’s budget.
“For the first time in nearly 15 years, this neighborhood once again has a ladder company on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to keep them safe,” he said.
The deadly blaze in January is believed to have started when a 5-year-old boy lit a Christmas tree in the unit, which did not have working smoking detectors.
Officials attending the event include the local International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Mike Bresnan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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