NY volunteer depts. receive 100K in federal funding

The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that most closely address the program’s priorities and demonstrate financial need

The Niagara Gazette

LOCKPORT, N.Y. — A local fire company is about to get a financial boost from the federal government.

New York’s Democratic U.S. senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Wednesday the award of $101,392 in federal funds for two Western New York fire departments, including the Rapids Volunteer Fire Co. in Lockport.

Schumer and Gillibrand said Rapids will receive $67,545 through the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The money will be used to purchase two new cardiac defibrillator monitors.

“We run about 1,000 calls a year and the majority of those calls are EMS,” said Andrew Doyle, President of the Rapids Volunteer Fire Co. “We needed to equip our EMT’s with these new monitors to ensure that our community is being served in the safest way possible.”

In addition, West Seneca Fire District No. 4 in Erie County will receive $33,847 to replace old, worn hoses with up-to-date equipment.

“It is essential that we provide our Western New York firefighters and EMTs with the top-notch equipment they need to do their jobs and keep our citizens safe,” Schumer said. “Our first responders are our first line of defense, and I am committed to delivering the resources they need to continue serving our communities.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the Department’s United States Fire Administration. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that most closely address the program’s priorities and demonstrate financial need. Funding is allocated to strengthen the overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards.

“These federal funds will allow our fire departments to purchase the up-to-date equipment they need to do their jobs effectively and stay safe while they are protecting our communities,” Gillibrand added. “We need to do everything we can to protect the men and women who risk their lives every day in the face of danger, and I will always fight in the senate to make sure that our fire departments are funded and equipped.”