A local delegation from Orleans County joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for the First Responders Summit on Thursday, July 24, in Washington, DC. The summit provided in-depth information about supporting the wellbeing of first responders and their families, fostering community engagement, and grant writing.
“This summit was a great opportunity to discuss a broad array of issues on how we can support our first responders and provide critical services to our residents,” said Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson, who was joined at the summit by Legislators Skip Draper and John Fitzak as well as Deputy Director of the Emergency Management Office Scott Buffin “Plus, there are unique challenges for rural communities like ours when it comes to first responders so being able to share information between similar counties is very helpful.”
Over the course of the summit, representatives from law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency management departments across New York shared their expertise and best practices. The summit featured speakers from the Police Benevolent Association of New York State, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, amongst others. County representatives plan to use the information shared at the summit to provide the best law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency management services for county residents.
“The discussions on first responders and family well-being brought some new ideas to incorporate into what we are already doing for our first responders in Orleans County” said Deputy Director Buffin. “The opportunity to network with other first responders at the summit was invaluable.”
To conclude the summit, county representatives spoke with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and her staff where they shared ideas about the areas for growth and support of Orleans County. Following that discussion, Senator Gillibrand said, “I thank the representatives from Orleans County for making the trip to share their expertise and enhance the quality of our larger discussion. I hope that the First Responders Summit provided information to enhance the quality of life of the constituents of Orleans County.”
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