Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2008

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $86,000 IN DHS FEMA EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING IN SOUTHERN TIER

Nearly $900,000 in CEDAP for Equipment, Equipment Training, and Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement and Emergency Responders Across Upstate New York - Horseheads, Elmira to Benefit

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 Southern Tier will receive a total of $86,455. The Horseheads Police Department has been allotted $8,000 and the Elmira Police Department will receive $3,785. 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 the Southern Tier,” 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.

The Horseheads Police Department will use the money to purchase 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.

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

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.

###

Resource Center