SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE OVER $23K IN FED FUNDS FOR WESTERN TURNPIKE RESCUE SQUAD IN ALBANY COUNTY

Federal Funding Will Allow For Western Turnpike Rescue Squad To Purchase Protective Gear For Emergency Personnel Handling Motor Vehicle Accidents

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $23,193 in federal funding for the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad. These funds were allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). This funding will allow the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad to purchase protective gear, including pants, extrication coats, gloves and helmets. The gear will protect emergency personnel when handling the approximately 200 motor vehicle accidents and extrication incidents they face each year. The new gear will now allow the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad to be in compliance with the National Fire Protection Association 1951 Personal Protective Equipment regulations.

“It is critical that we provide local emergency personnel and first responders with the funding they need to keep our citizens safe and do their jobs effectively,” said Senator Schumer. “Our first responders are our local heroes and our primary line of defense – it is crucial that we provide the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad with the protective gear they need to do their important work and save lives.”

“We must ensure that our first responders who put themselves in harm’s way have the most up-to-date equipment they need to help save lives,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Western Turnpike Rescue Squad will use this funding to invest in critical equipment that will help keep them safe as they do their job protecting our community.”

The Western Turnpike Rescue Squad is a 501c(3) not-for-profit Emergency Medical Service Agency located in the Town of Guilderland New York and serves a permanent resident population of 37,000 residents over a geographical area of 58 square miles.

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.

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