SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $1.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR FIREMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Funding Will Be Used To Promote Recruitment
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $1,520,000 in federal funding for the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. This funding will allow the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York to produce new firefighter recruitment tools including a media campaign urging people to become volunteer firefighters, and support a statewide tuition assistance program.
“Whether it’s a fire, flood, car accident, or when disaster strikes, we depend on these local heroes to keep us safe, and they depend on us to give them the resources they need to do their jobs effectively,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding will allow the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York to grow the ranks of fire departments around our great state, which will help ensure that they can respond to any situation quickly and efficiently. I’m proud to announce this grant and will continue working to make sure New York’s first responders have what they need.”
“Volunteer fire departments provide fire protection, fire prevention and emergency medical services in most of New York State, but with increasing call volumes and other challenges, we need more volunteers to staff those departments at levels that can consistently provide an effective level of response,” said Kenneth Pienkowski, President of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY). “This SAFER grant will go a long way towards augmenting the existing efforts of FASNY and the entire volunteer fire service to recruit and retain new volunteer firefighters. We are very grateful to all of our local federal elected officials for their help in securing this grant to help us maintain and grow the volunteer ranks across the state.”
The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER), established by FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security, was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments' abilities to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards established by the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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