SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE NEARLY $12K IN FED FUNDS FOR LACKAWANNA FIRE DEPARTMENT IN ERIE COUNTY
Federal Funding For Lackawanna Fire Department Will Be Used For Electronic Stability Systems, Used to Locate Firefighters Who are Injured and Immobilized While In A Fire
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $11,905 in federal funding for the Lackawanna Fire Department located in Erie County. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). These federal funds will allow the Lackawanna Fire Department to purchase new electronic stability systems (ESS), which alert first responders when a fellow firefighter is injured and unable to move while fighting a fire. Schumer and Gillibrand explained that ESS gives first responders a precise location of that firefighter in order to find them and get them out of the blaze as quickly as possible. The use of ESS comes in response to new regulations by the National Fire Protection Association to improve accountability systems for locating fallen firefighters.
“It is critical that we provide local first responders like the Lackawanna Fire Department with the funding and state-of-the-art equipment 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 against danger – it is crucial that when they get injured on the job, we are able to find them quickly and get them out of harm’s way.”
“We must ensure that our first responders who put themselves in harm’s way have the most up-to-date equipment they need to stay safe as they do their job protecting our community,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Lackawanna Fire Department will use this funding to invest in critical equipment that would locate missing firefighters. I will continue to push for funding that will help our first responders, so they can be safe as they save lives in our community.”
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.
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