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SCOTIA, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the Village of Scotia Fire Department will receive an award from the Fiscal Year 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program totaling $34,857.14. The funding will be used to purchase two new mechanical chest compression devices designed to provide continuous, accurate compressions to patients experiencing cardiac arrest.

“Each and every day, our Capital Region’s brave first responders put their lives on the line to keep our communities and our families safe,” Congressman Tonko said. “Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve been committed to making certain that these heroes have the tools, equipment, and training they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. I’m pleased to celebrate this significant infusion of federal funds, and I’m eager to continue my work alongside our local fire departments to deliver critical resources to first responders across our Capital Region.”

Currently, the Village of Scotia Fire Department operates three paramedic first-response vehicles, with one mechanical chest compression device shared between all three. Therefore, paramedics have been unable to utilize this essential equipment on multiple simultaneous calls, with Department personnel frequently required to move the existing device between vehicles. Now, thanks to this AFG award, the Village of Scotia Fire Department will be able to place a mechanical chest compression device in each of its three first-response vehicles — enablng its paramedics to provide first-class emergency care to patients experiencing cardiac arrest.  

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, which are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. Today’s announcement marks the first round of the competitive Fiscal Year 2023 AFG announcements. Previous rounds of funding for Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022 delivered nearly $2.6 million for departments in Albany, Ballston Lake, Burnt Hills, Colonie, Glenville, Menands, North Greenbush, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Scotia, South Glens Falls, Troy, and Watervliet.

The Fiscal Year 2023 AFG program will award hundreds of millions of dollars in competitive grants to fire departments, non-affiliated EMS organizations, and state fire training academies.

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