WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Dan Maffei today announced that the Weedsport Fire Department has been awarded $209,562 in Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Weedsport Fire Department will use this grant to purchase 25 new self-contained breathing apparatus and other equipment, including self-rescue ropes and helmets.
“These much-needed funds will allow the Weedsport Fire Department to invest in the equipment they need to do their jobs effectively and save lives,” said Senator Schumer. “Making sure the brave men and women that serve in our fire departments have the resources they need has always been a top priority of mine. These funds will allow our local heroes to continue their important work of keeping the community safe.”
“This is a critical investment for the Weedsport Fire Department,” said Senator Gillibrand, who a wrote a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate on behalf of the department’s application. “When our first responders go into harm’s way, it’s our job to ensure they have the right equipment and I am pleased the Weedsport Fire Department will get funding for critical breathing apparatus that will help keep them safe while they continue to serve their community and save lives.”
“The firefighters at the Weedsport Fire Department have been working with outdated and damaged equipment for years, and they deserve high-quality, upgraded equipment that will help keep them safe when they are hard at work protecting our community,” said Rep. Maffei, who wrote a letter of support on behalf of the department’s application. “This funding will go a long way to support the brave firefighters who put their lives on the line to keep Weedsport area families safe.”
“We are overjoyed and overwhelmed to receive this grant,” said David James, Chief of Weedsport Fire Department. “The awarded money will go towards upgrading personal protective equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatus, and self-rescue ropes for firefighters trapped in buildings. These upgrades will help us comply with safety standards as well as offer better protection for the infrastructure of the community.”
The AFG program is a competitive grant program to help firefighters and other first responders enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public and to obtain critically needed resources, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles, and training to improve the capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.