Fire Academy will get new training truck
SCHUYLER COUNTY--The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) has received a federal grant to purchase a new, well outfitted fire truck that will be used in the training of New York State's firefighters who attend training at the New York State Academy of Fire Science.
As director of FEMA's Grants Division in New York, which administers the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program for Region II, FEMA's Dale McShine said the grant was for $382,000, and totaled $450,000 with the local share of $67,500.
New York State is home to approximately 1,786 municipal fire departments in the state, staffed by roughly 96,100 volunteer firefighters and 18,500 career personnel, according to Deputy Chief David Martinichio of OFPC's Fire Operations and Training Branch. Through a network of 400 part-time instructors and 120 full-time fire protection specialists, OFPC annually trains 40,000 to 50,000 firefighters per year with 6,000 to 7,000 attending the residential fire training facility, located in Schuyler County.
The previous 1975 vehicle no longer met current requirements, Deputy Chief Martinichio said, adding "the condition of the vehicle and the high cost of repairs made it unsafe and too costly to keep in service." The new engine has a six-person cab, can pump 1,500 gallons per minute, and has an array of modern ladders, and other up-to-date equipment, all of which meet the criteria of the National Fire Protection Association.
DHSES Commissioner Jerome M. Hauer said, "I am pleased that the Office of Fire Prevention and Control is able to take advantage of the Assistance for Firefighters Grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Training is an integral part of any firefighter's toolkit and having state of the art equipment for this purpose will allow New York's firefighters to improve their skills to better aid the communities they serve."
FEMA's Dale McShine said the AFG program has been aiding firefighters and other first responders since 2001, "providing critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources" needed to help the public and emergency responders from fire and related hazards. "This award to New York State's Fire Training Program, with its considerable reach," she said, "is especially gratifying."
State Fire Administrator Bryant Stevens added, "the new engine will be a welcome addition to the current cadre of fire apparatus utilized at the Academy of Fire Science and will allow us to continue to provide the quality training that New York's firefighters expect and deserve."
"This is the first year that state fire training academies have been eligible to apply for AFG awards," the Academy's Assistant Business Officer Kathyrene O'Connor pointed out, adding that provisions for grants to academies allow a maximum of $500,000 per award for equipment, personal protective equipment, or vehicles, with a 15 percent match from the state. "This is a significant development," she said, "because it allows us to make our training all the more effective, along with enhancing the safety of the students attending the program."
Tania Hedlund, FEMA's Branch Chief for Grants, reported that, in 2012, the AFG provided funding of $25,340,000 for FEMA's Region II (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands). |
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