September 29, 2026

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE $13.2+ MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR FIRE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS UPSTATE NEW YORK

Schumer Helped Create AFG & SAFER Programs To Train, Equip, And Staff Fire Departments Across Upstate NY

Schumer Pushed To Re-Authorize Programs In 2024 To Continue Delivering Gear, Training, And Other Vital Support For First Responders

Schumer, Gillibrand: Keeping Upstate NY’s Firefighters & First Responders Safe

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $13,230,088.46 in federal funding for dozens of fire departments across Upstate New York. The funding will be used to provide protective gear, training, and supplies to emergency personnel. This federal funding was administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs, which Schumer helped create, and the senators fought hard to preserve and fund.

“Every day, our first responders risk everything to keep families safe and protect communities across Upstate New York. This more than $13.2 million in federal investments will put critical resources directly into the hands of firefighters—from New Rochelle to Syracuse to Buffalo—helping them stay safe and giving them what they need to do their jobs when it matters most,” said Senator Schumer. “For decades, I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with firefighters from across Upstate New York to fight for this critical program, and I’m proud to see that work continue to deliver real resources for the brave first responders who always answer the call for help.”

“Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We owe it to them to ensure that they have the resources and personnel they need to respond to emergencies as quickly as possible. I’m proud to be delivering over $13 million in federal funding to battle ongoing training and equipment gaps in fire departments across New York, and I will keep fighting to get more federal resources to our first responders.”

“The North Tonawanda Fire Department is extremely grateful to Senator Schumer for his continued support of our department and assistance throughout the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant process. The $488,020.48 award will allow us to send eight of our firefighters, approximately 21% of our career staff, to an accredited Paramedic Certification Program and become New York State-certified paramedics. With EMS incidents accounting for approximately 82% of our nearly 4,000 annual calls for service, increasing the number of paramedics within our department will expand Advanced Life Support and enhance patient safety. Senator Schumer’s continued commitment to the North Tonawanda Fire Department and to firefighters and first responders across New York State is deeply appreciated,” said City of North Tonawanda Fire Chief Doug Orlowski.

“I am extremely grateful to Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for their support of the Syracuse Fire Department’s AFG application. Traffic collisions are one of the more significant occupational risks of injury or death for firefighters nationwide. This funding of $857,024 will allow us to give our nearly 400 members extensive classroom driver training and hands-on practice with our apparatus. Better prepared drivers mean safer responses for our firefighters, the people we serve, and everyone who shares the road with us,” said City of Syracuse Fire Chief Michael J. Monds.

“We are an all-volunteer department of 30 active firefighters serving about 9,300 residents across 39 square miles in Wayne County, and this funding will be critical to replace and upgrade our aging self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units to ensure our firefighters have dependable breathable air when responding to emergencies. We appreciate the Senators’ support to help secure this funding to help safeguard our firefighters and local residents,” said South Macedon Fire and Rescue 1^st Asst. Chief Christopher Creamer.

Schumer helped create these programs and has championed program reauthorization and increased funding levels. In 2024, Senator Schumer led to passage the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act, extending funding for the AFG and SAFER programs through Fiscal Year 2030. Schumer explained that the AFG and SAFER programs have been a lifeline for fire departments and have become essential to their continued operations because they often face budget shortfalls and high costs, hindering their ability to purchase the modern equipment they need to respond to emergencies and keep firefighters safe. These programs have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars for firefighters and first responders across New York. The AFG and SAFER grant programs are administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, providing funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to applicants that most closely address the program’s priorities and demonstrate financial need.

A full list of funding recipients can be found below:

Region	Recipient	City	Amount	Grant Type
Statewide	New York State Division Of Homeland Security & Emergency Services		$500,000.00	AFG
Statewide	Firemens Association Of The State Of New York		$476,190.47	FP&S
Capital Region	City Of Rensselaer	Rensselaer	$241,428.57	AFG
Capital Region	City Of Watervliet	Watervliet	$238,095.23	AFG
Capital Region	Mechanicville Fire Dept	Mechanicville	$160,000.00	AFG
Capital Region	White Creek Fire Co Inc	Eagle Bridge	$136,761.90	AFG
Capital Region	The Cobleskill Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.	Cobleskill	$95,238.09	AFG
Capital Region	Sw Pitts Hose Company Of Latham Ny Inc	Latham	$72,727.27	AFG
Capital Region	Hartford Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.	Hartford	$62,496.60	AFG
Capital Region	Village Of Scotia	Schenectady	$56,400.63	AFG
Capital Region	Putnam Volunteer Fire Co No 1 Inc	Putnam Station	$45,000.00	SAFER
Capital Region	Taborton Fire Co	Sand Lake	$16,380.95	AFG
Capital Region	Niagara Engine Company No. 6, Inc.	Schoharie	$7,932.38	AFG
Central NY	City Of Syracuse	Syracuse	$857,024.54	AFG
Central NY	Volney Volunteer Fire Corp	Fulton	$68,571.42	AFG
Central NY	Springport Fire District	Union Springs	$49,523.80	AFG
Central NY	City Of Auburn	Auburn	$36,363.63	AFG
Central NY	Town Of Sennett Fire Department	Auburn	$27,142.85	AFG
Central NY	Cortlandville Fire District	Cortland	$19,573.33	AFG
Central NY	Virgil Fire Department, Inc.	Cortland	$18,095.23	AFG
Hudson Valley	City Of New Rochelle	New Rochelle	$855,502.24	AFG
Hudson Valley	Thiells-Roseville Fire District	Thiells	$300,952.38	AFG
Hudson Valley	City Of Peekskill	Peekskill	$206,767.27	AFG
Hudson Valley	Hyde Park Fire & Water District	Hyde Park	$162,361.90	AFG
Hudson Valley	Olive Fire Department Number 1 Inc.	Olivebridge	$114,793.61	AFG
Hudson Valley	West Nyack Fire District	West Nyack	$98,900.00	SAFER
Hudson Valley	Woodridge Joint Fire District	Woodridge	$97,478.09	AFG
Hudson Valley	Central Nyack Fire District	Nyack	$72,857.14	AFG
Hudson Valley	Village Of Larchmont	Larchmont	$61,904.76	AFG
Hudson Valley	Woodridge Joint Fire District	Woodridge	$52,378.09	AFG
Hudson Valley	Haverstraw Ambulance Corps, Inc.	Haverstraw	$43,112.72	AFG
Hudson Valley	Buchanan Engine Co. No. 1 Incorporated	Buchanan	$42,000.00	SAFER
Mohawk Valley	Hagaman Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.	Hagaman	$640,000.00	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Frankfort Center Fire Department, Inc	Frankfort	$614,545.00	SAFER
Mohawk Valley	Utica Fire Department	Utica	$186,545.45	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Town Of Glen Volunteer Fire Department, Inc	Fultonville	$178,533.33	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Rockwood Garoga Lassellsville Vol Fire	St Johnsville	$132,200.00	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Stratford Volunteer Fire Dept	Stratford	$105,142.85	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Volunteer Fire Company Of Vernon, Inc.	Vernon	$100,523.80	AFG
Mohawk Valley	West Winfield Village Of	West Winfield	$64,840.95	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Volunteer Fire Co Of Western Inc	Westernville	$63,690.47	AFG
Mohawk Valley	Kuyahoora Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc.	Poland	$49,942.85	AFG
Mohawk Valley	East Herkimer Fire District	Herkimer	$44,495.23	AFG
North Country	City Of Watertown	Watertown	$218,100.00	AFG
North Country	Inlet Volunteer Emergency Service	Inlet	$142,857.14	AFG
North Country	Saint Regis Falls Volunteer Fire Department	Saint Regis Falls	$128,924.90	AFG
North Country	Lyons Falls Village Of	Lyons Falls	$54,011.42	AFG
North Country	Dickinson Fire District	Dickinson Center	$39,390.47	AFG
North Country	City Of Ogdensburg	Ogdensburg	$5,714.28	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Henrietta Fire District	West Henrietta	$940,530.97	SAFER
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Point Pleasant Fire District	Rochester	$522,788.57	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	South Macedon Fire And Rescue, Inc	Macedon	$214,285.71	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Kendall Fire Dist	Kendall	$192,361.90	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Lima Volunteer Fire Department	Lima	$177,142.85	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	West Lake Road Fire Association, Inc	Geneva	$163,851.42	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Sodus Center Fire District	Sodus	$118,438.09	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Village Of Warsaw	Warsaw	$114,285.71	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	North East Joint Fire District	Webster	$80,000.00	SAFER
Rochester-Finger Lakes	Ridge Road Fire District	Rochester	$29,431.81	AFG
Rochester-Finger Lakes	North Java Fire Company, Inc.	North Java	$12,581.90	AFG
Southern Tier	Village Of Milford Fire Department	Milford	$182,857.14	AFG
Southern Tier	Village Of Savona	Savona	$167,619.04	AFG
Southern Tier	Village Of Cooperstown	Cooperstown	$157,142.85	AFG
Southern Tier	Edmeston Fire District	Edmeston	$153,228.57	AFG
Southern Tier	City Of Hornell	Hornell	$128,403.80	AFG
Southern Tier	Wellsbridge Fire Department	Wells Bridge	$119,485.71	AFG
Southern Tier	Coventry Emergency Squad Inc	Greene	$71,428.57	AFG
Southern Tier	Village Of Spencer Municipal Building	Spencer	$53,596.67	AFG
Southern Tier	Village Of Richfield Springs	Richfield Springs	$47,619.04	AFG
Southern Tier	Erin Fire District	Erin	$32,680.36	AFG
Southern Tier	Town Of Binghamton Volunteer Fire Co Inc	Binghamton	$29,782.85	AFG
Western NY	Brighton Fire District 5	Tonawanda	$548,590.90	AFG
Western NY	City Of North Tonawanda	North Tonawanda	$443,654.98	AFG
Western NY	City Of Niagara Falls Ny	Niagara Falls	$239,922.72	AFG
Western NY	Barker Fire Department, Inc	Barker	$131,428.57	AFG
Western NY	Village Of Farnham	Farnham	$125,570.37	AFG
Western NY	Sinclairville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, Inc.	Sinclairville	$97,142.85	AFG
Western NY	St Johnsburg Fire Co Inc	North Tonawanda	$93,242.85	AFG
Western NY	Erie, County Of	Buffalo	$82,500.00	SAFER
Western NY	City Of Olean	Olean	$70,714.28	AFG
Western NY	Kianone Independent Fire Department, Incorporated	Jamestown	$50,988.95	AFG
Western NY	Scranton Volunteer Fire Company Inc.	Hamburg	$47,619.04	AFG
Western NY	Alden Village Of	Alden	$25,756.19	AFG

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