[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65649-65650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23853]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2022 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 65649]]

                Proclamation 10482 of October 27, 2022

                
National First Responders Day, 2022

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On National First Responders Day, we honor the bravery 
                of our Nation's heroes who put their lives on the line 
                for their fellow Americans each and every day--from law 
                enforcement officers who keep our streets safe and 
                firefighters who rush into burning buildings, to relief 
                workers who care for our families after natural 
                disasters and EMTs, paramedics, and other public health 
                workers who provide life-saving emergency care at a 
                moment's notice. When tragedies strike, these women and 
                men are always there to help us, and we thank them for 
                their extraordinary service to our country.

                I have witnessed up close the courage, character, and 
                valor of first responders across the Nation. In 
                Florida, Puerto Rico, and Kentucky, search and rescue 
                teams swooped in to save lives in the aftermath of 
                Hurricanes Ian and Fiona and historic flooding. In 
                Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and California, 
                firefighters battled raging wildfires, even when some 
                of their own homes had been destroyed. In Buffalo, New 
                York, a retired police officer lost his life protecting 
                his community from a mass shooter. Living a life of 
                service and sacrifice is not just what first responders 
                do--it is who they are.

                We ask more of our first responders today than ever 
                before. Being a police officer not only means keeping 
                our communities safe but also acting as a counselor and 
                a social worker. Being a firefighter means not only 
                combatting fires in homes and businesses but also 
                suiting up to fight raging wildfires made more frequent 
                and ferocious by the climate crisis. Throughout the 
                pandemic, medical teams and community health workers 
                have been on the frontlines, working around the clock 
                to save lives. Yet, even when first responders are 
                stretched thin, their courage and commitment to service 
                never wavers.

                That is why my Administration's American Rescue Plan 
                committed over $10 billion in funds for public safety 
                and violence prevention, including billions of dollars 
                to recruit and retain first responders, avoid public 
                safety layoffs, and purchase emergency vehicles and 
                other equipment to keep our communities safe. We 
                increased Federal funding for State and local law 
                enforcement by almost 30 percent last year. With my 
                Safer America Plan, I am asking the Congress for 
                additional funding to provide our law enforcement 
                officers with more mental health and wellness resources 
                and to recruit and hire 100,000 more police officers 
                who are trained in safe, effective, and accountable 
                community policing. When it comes to strengthening 
                public safety, the answer is not to defund the police: 
                It is to provide them with the tools, training, and 
                support they need to fight crime and build trust with 
                the communities they are sworn to protect.

                The same goes for fighting fires, which is why I, in 
                partnership with the Congress, substantially increased 
                wages for Federal wildland firefighters, implemented 
                new programs to support their mental and physical 
                health, and created a wildland firefighter job series 
                to improve recruitment, retention, and professional 
                opportunities. The American Rescue Plan and the 2023 
                Budget include combined increases of $320 million for 
                Federal firefighting

[[Page 65650]]

                grants, helping to fund 1,200 more local firefighters, 
                hundreds more emergency response vehicles, and 
                thousands of protective gear sets. In addition, I 
                signed into law the Protecting America's First 
                Responders Act, reducing red tape for firefighters and 
                other first responders with disabilities to qualify for 
                critical benefits and extending benefits to surviving 
                families of firefighters who lost their lives in 
                training. Because cancer is a leading cause of death 
                among firefighters, my Administration created a special 
                unit at the Department of Labor to help process cancer 
                claims, and I am calling on the Congress to pass the 
                Federal Firefighters Fairness Act to ensure cancer 
                patients and their families get the compensation they 
                deserve.

                Today and every day, America's first responders remain 
                on alert and on call, always there for us when we need 
                them. As we celebrate these patriots who have answered 
                the call of duty, we honor the memory of the heroes we 
                have lost. They are woven into the fabric of our 
                national character--embodying the extraordinary 
                selflessness, rare commitment to others, and remarkable 
                bravery that has inspired us for generations. Our first 
                responders remind us that we are a great country 
                because we are made up of good people. Let us renew our 
                commitment as a Nation to standing by them and their 
                families just as they stand by us, shaping a stronger, 
                safer, and more resilient America.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 28, 
                2022, as National First Responders Day. I call upon all 
                the people of the United States to observe this day 
                with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities 
                to honor our brave first responders and to pay tribute 
                to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2022-23853
Filed 10-31-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P