SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE NEARLY $23K IN FED FUNDS FOR VICTOR-FARMINGTON VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE CORP. IN ONTARIO COUNTY
Funds Will Be Used To Improve Ability to Protect Health and Safety of the Growing Communities of Ontario County
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $22,691 in federal funding for the Victor-Farmington Volunteer Ambulance Corp. in Ontario County. The funding was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The Victor-Farmington Ambulance Corp. will use federal funding to enhance support for emergency medical services, including towards improving their operations and safety infrastructure.
“Emergency Medical Organizations, like the Victor-Farmington Volunteer Ambulance Corp. play a critical role in our local communities, protecting residents day and night,” said Senator Schumer. “Over the past several years, the communities in Ontario County have grown tremendously. Victor-Farmington provides support to more than 26,000 residences, amidst rising population growth across the county. Federal funding is essential to support their efforts and I am committed to making sure they always receive the necessary funding to support their life-saving work.”
“These federal funds will allow our first responders in Ontario County to purchase the up-to-date equipment they need to stay safe and do their jobs effectively,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We need to do everything we can to protect the men and women who risk their lives every day in the face of danger, and I will always fight in the Senate to make sure that our first responders are given the support they deserve.”
The AFG Program will award approximately $310.5 million in competitive grants to fire departments, non-affiliated EMS organizations, and state fire training academies this year. Funding for vehicles is limited to 25 percent of the total FY 2016 AFG Program appropriation. No less than 3.5 percent of appropriated funds must be awarded for EMS equipment and training grants for both fire-department-based and non-affiliated EMS organizations.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the Department's United States Fire Administration. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that most closely address the program's priorities and demonstrate financial need. More information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program can be accessed at http://www.fema.gov/firegrants.
###
