For Immediate Release
Contact: Communications Director, Samantha Graubard: Sgraubard@dccouncil.gov
PRESS RELEASE: COUNCILMEMBER PINTO INTRODUCES BILL TO MODERNIZE POLICE AND FIRE FACILITIES
Washington DC — Today, Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety Brooke Pinto introduced a bill to modernize Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Fire and Emergency Medical Services (Fire & EMS) facilities across the District of Columbia. These facilities are used 24 hours a day, seven days a week all year round and are vital to ensuring the public safety of residents and visitors. In Fiscal Year 2025 alone, the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) received 2.3 million calls, requiring responses from our first responders across the District.
The “First Responders Facilities Modernization Act” will:
· Create an Office of Public Safety Facilities Planning (OPSFP) that will be responsible for developing a comprehensive 10-year master facilities plan for MPD and Fire & EMS facilities
· Include detailed criteria that must be considered when determining the prioritization and inclusion of projects each year
"Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to protect District residents and visitors, and we owe it to them to ensure their facilities are in excellent working condition,” said Chairwoman Pinto. “Most of the District’s MPD stations and substations and Fire & EMS facilities are in need of modernization – we must get this important bill passed, funded, and implemented as soon as possible.”
The “First Responders Facilities Modernization Act” is co-introduced by Councilmembers Charles Allen, Janeese Lewis George, Anita Bonds, and Wendell Felder.
This introduction follows Chairwoman Pinto’s continued support for our public safety workforce. Chairwoman Pinto also introduced the “Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) Amendment Act,” which allows retirement-eligible first responders to continue to work for up to three years while collecting supplemental payments. Chairwoman Pinto is also working to restore the Workforce Investment Fund in the District’s budget to ensure firefighters get the pay raises they deserve and included funding in the Committee budget recommendations for hiring/recruitment/retention at our public safety agencies including MPD, Fire & EMS, and OUC.
