State funding aids pager
replacement for Churchville firemen

According to members of the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department, Senator Jim Alesi (R,C,I - Perinton) has facilitated a $15,000 grant to aid with equipment upgrades.

"Volunteers are the lifeblood of fire companies and emergency service corps throughout the state," said Senator Alesi. "These brave men and women put their lives on the line day in and day out to protect the safety of others. The least we can do, as a state, is make certain that they have the proper tools and technology to safely get the job done."

The funding will be used to upgrade outdated pagers to new digital pagers for all members. An update has been mandated due to a change in bandwidth, which has been a drain on local agencies. The funding will also be used for new personal protective equipment for the 65 active department members.

Department Vice President Bob Ehrmentraut, who worked with Alesi's office in securing the funds, said, "Senator Alesi has again demonstrated his commitment not only to the volunteers of his district, but the people we protect and serve as well. Funding for this project enables us to follow through on other important items such as training for our members and fire prevention and control. On behalf of the department, we are all grateful for the Senator's hard work."

December 10, 2006