Federal grants awarded to three Chenango fire departments

NORWICH – Three Chenango County fire departments are in line to receive hundreds of thousands in federal grant dollars to assist with the needs of first responders and EMS professionals.
Nearly $834,000 is being disbursed to six fire departments in Chenango, Cortland, and Oneida counties through the 2015 Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
The grants will help firefighters in these departments update equipment so that they have the tools necessary to ensure public safety. The goal of the grant program is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations.
In Chenango County, departments in Afton, Oxford, and Norwich will all benefit. The City of Norwich Fire Department and the Village of Oxford Fire Department will both utilize the grant money for operations and safety. Oxford is slated to receive $112,200 while Norwich will get $225,334.
“It’s an extremely competitive grant, so we’re fortunate to get it,” said Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo, noting that the grant application is open to all volunteer, paid, and combination fire departments in the country.
The NFD has also applied for a second acquisition grant through FEMA which it hopes to use for the purchase a new ambulance, but Chawgo said there’s currently no word that it will be awarded. Nevertheless, the department has been successful with federal grants in the past. In 2009, it received money to upgrade its communication equipment; and in 2015, it was awarded money to replace a retired firefighter with a new full-time employee.
Norwich’s recent round of grant funding will be used to replace breathing apparatuses for firefighters – an expense that would cost local taxpayers more than $260,000, according to Chawgo.
“We’ve been relatively successful with this program, which is good news. It’s good news for the city, good news for the fire department, and good news for the taxpayers,” he added. “This equipment’s not something that can’t be replaced when the time comes. It’s good that we don’t have to scramble for funds for it now.”
The Afton Fire Department will receive the largest grant in the county, with $238,096 that department heads will use to purchase emergency vehicles.
The Cincinnatus Fire District in neighboring Cortland County received $23,429 to contribute to the department’s operations and safety.
In Oneida County, the New London Volunteer Fire Department received $91,448, and the Stanwix Heights Fire Department received $143,464.
Since 2011, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program has helped fire departments and first responders get access to critical equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.
The grant program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.

Comments

There are 3 comments for this article

  1. Steven Jobs July 4, 2017 7:25 am

    dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.

    • Jim Calist July 16, 2017 1:29 am

      Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far

  2. Steven Jobs July 4, 2017 7:25 am

    jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.

  3. Steven Jobs May 10, 2018 2:41 am

    So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that

  4. Steven Jobs May 10, 2018 2:42 am

    Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.