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COLONIE, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the Town of Colonie Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department has been awarded a grant totaling $90,090.90 from the Fiscal Year 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. This funding will be used to help the Department complete an ongoing four-year project to replace outdated personal protective equipment for its personnel.

“Our Capital Region’s first responders play a vital role in keeping our communities safe each and every day,” Congressman Tonko said. “As elected leaders, it is our responsibility to make certain that these brave men and women have the tools, equipment, and training they need to provide the exceptional, life-saving services that our families rely on. I’m thrilled to celebrate this important infusion of federal funds to support the mission of the Colonie EMS Department, and I’ll always keep working to deliver critical resources to first responders across our Capital Region.”

The Town of Colonie EMS Department is currently halfway through a four-year project aimed at replacing existing personal protective outerwear for its paramedics and EMTs. With this boost of federal funding, the Department will be able to complete that project ahead of schedule and ensure all of its personnel are kept safe from on-the-job hazards.

“Our department strives to put EMTs and paramedics next to our patients immediately despite the given hazards, and firmly believes our staff must have adequate personal protection while they work to stabilize patients wherever they may be found,” said Paul Sugrue, Chief of the Town of Colonie EMS Department. “This grant allows us to complete the project now to ensure that all staff are outfitted with state-of-the-art personal protective equipment.”

“This valuable grant allows us to more promptly complete a significant safety program initiated by the Town on behalf of our EMS staff,” added Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey. “I would like to thank our federal officials for making these important funds available for public safety.”

Each year, Congressman Tonko and his staff assist numerous local fire and EMS 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 fourth round of the competitive Fiscal Year 2023 AFG announcements, after a previous round delivered more than $34,000 for the Village of Scotia Fire Department.

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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