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WATERVLIET, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the Watervliet Fire Department will receive a grant from the Fiscal Year 2022 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program totaling $229,051.42. Tonko submitted a letter in support of the department’s request for funding, which will be used to provide paramedic training for two of its members.

“Each day, our Capital Region’s brave firefighters stand on the front lines to keep our families safe,” Congressman Tonko said. “As we honor their vital contributions to our communities, we must also make certain that they are provided with the equipment and the necessary training to continue to do their work capably and safely. I’m thrilled to have helped secure this critical funding that will further enhance the Watervliet Fire Department’s essential services, and I will always continue working to ensure that all of our local fire departments have the resources they need to thrive.”

“It is with Congressman Tonko’s ever-present support that our department continues to benefit from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program,” said Tom Eagan, Fire Captain and Paramedic at the Watervliet Fire Department. “This 2022 AFG award will allow our department to send two of our newest members off to school to be trained as paramedics, covering the cost of school and coverage costs for them during the year-long process. The AFG is essential for all the fire departments across the country, but so very crucial for the smaller departments with the fiscal constraints they encounter. Without this support, we would be under-equipped and under-trained.”

Each year, Congressman Tonko and his staff assist numerous local fire departments by writing letters of support and helping to prepare their applications for these critical grants. Today’s announcement marks the second round of the competitive Fiscal Year 2022 AFG announcements, after the first round secured more than $128,000 for the Troy Fire Department. The Fiscal Year 2021 AFG cycle delivered more than $1.72 million for fire departments in Albany, Burnt Hills, Colonie, Glenville, North Greenbush, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, South Glens Falls, and Troy.

The Fiscal Year 2022 AFG program will award hundreds of millions of dollars in competitive grants to fire departments, non-affiliated EMS organizations, and state fire training academies.