SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND SECURE $53 MILLION IN NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL TO BUILD A NEW FIRE STATION FOR THE WATERVLIET ARSENAL FIREFIGHTERS
Watervliet Arsenal Firefighters Keep Troops Safe And Respond To Hundreds Of Calls A Year Helping Surrounding Communities, But Current Aging Fire Station Has Long Needed Upgrades To Meet Mission Requirements & Keep Firefighters Prepared For Emergencies
Schumer, Gillibrand: Fed $$ For New Fire Station Is Critical To Ensure Safety At Watervliet Arsenal And Cap Region
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced they have secured a whopping $53 million to help build a new fire station for the Watervliet Arsenal firefighters in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The senators explained that the current fire station does not meet Army standards and is needed to continue providing lifesaving emergency services for both the Watervliet Arsenal and surrounding Capital Region communities.
“Our Watervliet Arsenal firefighters risk their lives to keep both our troops and the surrounding Capital Region communities safe, and we need to make sure they have the resources and modern facilities to respond to emergencies. But their current aging fire station does not have enough space and has long needed upgrades to ensure they can continue their lifesaving services. That’s why I’m proud to come with good news just in time for Christmas: I just secured $53 million for a new fire station for the Watervliet Arsenal firefighters in the national defense bill,” said Senator Schumer. “Built during the War of 1812, the Watervliet Arsenal is the oldest continuously active Arsenal in the US and has been a pillar of America’s defense industrial base for more than 200 years, serving as the Department of Defense’s sole source for cannon tube production and providing much of the artillery to support our warfighters and foreign partners. But its fire station is woefully out-of-date putting people, assets, and our national security at risk. I’ll keep fighting to make sure this funding is included in the final funding bill so we can build a safer future for Watervliet Arsenal and the Capital Region.”
“Watervliet firefighters risk their lives to protect their communities and the critical Watervliet Arsenal. We owe it to them to ensure they have top-of-the-line equipment and a state-of-the-art fire station. I’m proud to have fought to secure $53 million to build an entirely new station and will continue fighting to secure resources for New York’s first responders,” said Senator Gillibrand.
The current fire station is presently the only emergency response force located on post. In addition to their emergency response mission on Arsenal grounds, the current fire station also provides emergency response to the local communities including Watervliet, Troy, Albany, Cohoes, and Green Island, conducting 386 mutual aid calls last year alone in the Capital Region. However—with the expansion of Watervliet Arsenal and the surge in manufacturing capacity, production rate, and workforce over the years—the current fire station has become too small and old to effectively meet its mission requirements. For instance, the size of the fire station does not provide sufficient storage space for all of the required emergency response apparatus onsite, resulting in significant delays in response times as personnel are forced to retrieve necessary equipment from various storage locations. Additionally, the current fire station is incapable of housing all fire department personnel when the department is at end strength, rendering first responders to reside in two different facilities located separately from their equipment while they’re on duty, placing responders at a tactical disadvantage and proliferating the risks to cohesion within response teams and responder and occupant safety alike.
The senators explained that all together, these issues put a serious strain on the Watervliet Arsenal Fire Department, which protects and saves countless lives, homes, and businesses every year. The senators also warned that if funding for a new fire station at Watervliet Arsenal isn’t included in the full-year FY2025 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA) Appropriations package, these issues will grow and further impact the fire department’s operations as Watervliet Arsenal continues to modernize and expand its operations in support of revitalizing the Army’s organic industrial base.
The senators explained that following their advocacy the funding was secured in the national defense bill – that both the Senate and House of Representatives agreed to this past weekend – in addition to both the Senate’s and the House of Representatives’ versions of the national budget bill. The new proposed facility will significantly reduce risks posed to personnel, civilians, and facilities such as toxic exposure, fires in manufacturing areas, and the need for emergency response at the fire station. The senators pledged to fight to make a final push and ensure this funding is included in the final annual budget bill.
The senators previously announced $1.7 billion in federal funding for the Watervliet Arsenal – the largest investment in the facility’s 200+ year history – to upgrade and modernize the facility. Schumer said the Arsenal has played a vital role in America’s defense as the nation’s sole producer of large-bore cannons and other critical artillery, but for nearly half a century that rarely translated into funding for the 800 civilian employee workforce, often putting the future of the Arsenal in doubt.
Constructed in 1813, the Watervliet Arsenal has played a vital role in America’s defense throughout its long history producing large caliber cannons, different-sized mortar tubes, and breeches for each. In addition, the facility has the capability to efficiently take on emergency projects, such as when it produced armor hardening kits for Humvees after they became targets of IED attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 1991, during the Gulf War, the Army found it needed a more robust explosive device to reach Iraq’s deeply buried command and control bunkers. In just 23 days’ time, the Watervliet Arsenal developed and produced the first “Bunker Buster” bombs, by modifying Howitzer tubes into 5,000-pound bomb casings. But more than land, equipment, and buildings, the Arsenal represents thousands of great Americans who have proudly served their country since 1813 by supporting our nation’s warfighters and allies for over 200 years.
Schumer is committed to supporting New York’s firefighters, earlier this year fighting to save the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. Schumer has delivered historic funding for Capital Region firefighters. For example, last year, the Troy and Saratoga Springs fire departments received nearly $8 million to hire 30 new firefighters.
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