On October 25, Governor Kathy 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, is being awarded to 88 entities across the State of New York, through the Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program. The State funding for this initiative is divided into two tracks of eligible projects, facility improvement projects and equipment purchase projects.
Churchville Volunteer Fire Department is receiving a $45,500 facilities grant which will go towards replacing their on-site power generator. The generator allows the station to serve as a shelter for Riga residents in the case of natural disasters or unexpected outages.
“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.”
Applications from volunteer fire departments were evaluated and scored competitively by a team of civil servants at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services using a multi-tiered listing of criteria. The scoring process not only evaluated the timeliness and completeness of applications, but also 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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