Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $986,080 in federal funding for the Vails Gate Fire Department. These federal dollars will be used by the Vails Gate Fire Department to recruit additional first responders. The funding is allocated through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
“This is a great investment for Vails Gate,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This federal investment will help improve the fire department’s ability to respond and keep families safe. I will continue working to ensure our first responders have the tools and resources they need to keep our communities safe.”
“We are just overwhelmed with the news awarding the VGFD with $986,086 in Safer Grant Funds to support our retention and recruitment program,” said Sal Gigante, Board of Fire Commissioners, Vails Gate Fire Department. “This grant will provide us an opportunity to recruit new members and to retain our highly trained exsiting members. As a result, our community can be assured that the VGFD will continue to respond to emergencies with the proper staffing levels. We hope this will enable the VGFD to continue servicing the community as a 100% volunteer organization.”
The SAFER program, established by DHS, is part of an effort to help fire departments across the country increase the number of firefighters in our communities, including re-hiring those that lost their jobs during the economic crisis. This program awards federal funding to fire departments to help them provide round-the-clock staffing to their communities from dangerous fire-related hazards.