By Liz Page
SCHOHARIE COUNTY – Schoharie County received more than $500,000 in grants to assist volunteer firefighters through awards announced by Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday.
Governor Hochul awarded $25 million in New York State funding to improve facilities and response capabilities for agencies comprised of volunteer firefighters. This funding, provided by the state of New York through the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, was awarded to 88 entities across the state, through the Volunteer Fire Infrastructure and Response Equipment Grant Program. The state funding for this initiative is divided into two tracks of eligible projects to maximize the benefits of the program, facility improvement projects or equipment purchase projects.
“Volunteer firefighters exemplify the best of public servants, and an investment in them is an investment in the safety of the communities they serve,” Governor Hochul said. “These grants will give volunteer firefighters the resources they need to continue protecting New Yorkers; support befitting of their professionalism and the invaluable weight of their efforts.”
New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Our volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line every time they suit up to help others in need. Through the V-FIRE Grant Program, we are working to ensure they have the resources they need to do their work safely and effectively. We thank our volunteers for their service and are grateful for the work they do to keep their communities safe.”
"We are very excited to receive the $375,000 V-FIRE grant," said Schoharie County Fire Coordinator Matt Brisley.
Brisley and other county officials also traveled to Leeds last Friday to meet with the Governor Kathy Hochul for the announcement.
"We plan on working with the county to move forward with planning a long-needed building to hold a permanent classroom, storage space for the fire service and buildings and grounds, bathrooms with firefighter decontamination areas, and a small office for the fire instructors."
The training center and burn building opened in the Spring of 2011 and Schoharie County has been using it to train volunteers from Schoharie County and all the surrounding counties since then.
"For anyone that has trained at our facility, they know we only have a port-a-potty for a restroom facility. In 2012 the Schoharie County Fire Chiefs Association purchased a 15-year-old Williams Scotsman office trailer for $805 and donated it to the county. Volunteers turned it into a classroom. Only meant to be temporary, the trailer is now nearly 25 years old and at the end of its useful life. In 2021 the county buildings and ground crew installed lighting inside and outside of the training tower, and in 2023 Schoharie County DPW paved the area around the tower and our breathing air compressor building.
"Right now, we have several trailers on site to store all of the tools and materials that we need to conduct training.
"Our office along with our dedicated group of fire instructors are thrilled that our grant application was one of 88 across New York State to receive funding. Over 500 grant applications were submitted for projects totaling over $250 million dollars."
Three Schoharie County fire departments also received funding from this grant program, including Central Bridge, $139,000 for facilities; Richmondville, $94,945 for facilities and Schoharie (Niagara Engine Company No. 6), $46,500 for facilities.
The V-FIRE Grant Program supports volunteer firefighter safety and health and wellness by providing adequate and up-to-date equipment to include personal protective equipment, decontamination equipment and supplies and effective exhaust removal systems, the release stated.
Additionally, the program will support the consolidation of fire service resources through regionalization efforts to expand beyond jurisdictional boundaries to further enhance local, county and statewide response efforts.
Allowable costs include construction of new, or renovation of existing fire stations, classrooms, meeting spaces or training centers as well as the installation of exhaust and decontamination systems, or the purchase of equipment such as firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), PPE washers and dryers and firefighter rehabilitation equipment.
State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Our volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line every time they suit up to help others in need. Through the V-FIRE Grant Program, we are working to ensure they have the resources they need to do their work safely and effectively. We thank our volunteers for their service and are grateful for the work they do to keep their communities safe.” Applications from volunteer fire departments were evaluated and scored competitively by a team at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services using a multi-tiered listing of criteria, the release stated. The scoring process evaluated the timeliness and completeness of applications as well as a number of other factors including the department’s annual operating budget. Those with smaller annual operating budgets were given priority."
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