Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2008

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $350,000 IN DHS FEMA EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING FOR HUDSON VALLEY REGION

Nearly $900,000 in CEDAP for Equipment, Equipment Training, and Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement and Emergency Responders Across Upstate New York; Chester, Fishkill, Greenwood Lake, Orangeburg, Kingston, Newburgh, Carmel and Goshen Village Receive Awards

Schumer: Funds Will Enhance Responders' Preparedness, Help Protect Communities

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded equipment and training worth $897,195 to Upstate New York emergency response agencies under the fiscal year 2008 Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). Law Enforcement Agencies and Emergency Responders across the Hudson Valley region will receive a total of $351,520 in equipment.

The Chester Police Department will receive $3,785, the Fishkill, Greenwood Lake Village and Orangetown Police Departments will each receive $8,000, the Kingston NY, Newburgh and Carmel Police Departments will each receive $16,550, and the Goshen Village Police Department will be allotted $72,100. Since the program’s inception in 2005, DHS has provided roughly 6,800 CEDAP awards worth more than $120 million to support all hazards response capabilities in smaller jurisdictions around the country.

“This is great news for our emergency responders in Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam and Orange Counties,” said Schumer. “These grants provide funding for essential equipment and training that will strengthen our responders’ preparedness by equipping them with the tools they need to protect our communities, and themselves, during an emergency.”

Eligibility for CEDAP is limited to law enforcement agencies, fire departments and other emergency responder agencies with specific financial and capability needs. FY 2008 CEDAP funds equipment and training in five categories: extrication devices; thermal imaging, night vision and video surveillance tools; chemical, biological and radiological detection tools; information technology and risk management tools; and vehicle tracking tools.

Funding will be used by the Chester Police Department to purchase a Night Vision Kit, a low light amplifying kit that provides a lightweight solution for night vision.

The Fishkill, Greenwood Lake Village and Orangetown Police Departments will utilize their funding for a Mini Thermal Monocular (MTM) which assists in the detection, recognition and identification of potential suspects or victims. It also provides increase safety through better situational awareness, and can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and search and rescue.

Kingston NY Police Department will receive Hydraulic Rescue Tools. The pump utilizes two-tool simultaneous operation with supercharged hydrostatic 2 stage radial piston pumps. The spreader is a 28-inch spreader with a combination grabber jaw and automotive spreader tips and dual pilot check valves. The hydraulic rams have penetrating teeth on both ram tip and base to plunge through plastic and other materials for better grip strength providing greater control and increasing safety during use. These rams can also be used for heavy equipment and machinery.

Newburgh and Carmel Police Departments will each use their funding for a Zistos, a modular portable video system is designed to be user-friendly. Each system is battery powered, allowing the user to operate the equipment indoors to outdoors, and to view underwater images.

Funding will be used by the Goshen Village Police Department for a Rapid Deployment Kit, a portable system that provides monitoring and surveillance capability through automated outdoor wireless surveillance devices coupled with a command center laptop workstation. The system provides real-time GPS situational awareness.

The FY 2008 CEDAP complements the department’s other major grants programs to enhance regional response capabilities, mutual aid, and interoperable communications by providing technology and equipment, along with the training required to operate that equipment, to law enforcement and emergency responder agencies in smaller jurisdictions and certain metropolitan areas. Applicants select items from the CEDAP Equipment Catalog that they had been unable to acquire through other DHS programs.

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