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ALBANY, NY – Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) announced today that $1,520,000 has been awarded to the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York, Inc. (FASNY) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) FY2016 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. The award will support recruiting and is being delivered through AFG’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) subsidiary program.

Congressman Tonko: “Our firefighters are the first and last line of defense when tragedy is at our doorstep, a responsibility that demands extraordinary bravery and selflessness. These folks work day and night, saving lives and protecting businesses, homes and families in communities all across New York. We cannot afford to let the dangers and burdens of this work fall on too few shoulders. Recruiting and training new firefighters is one of the most important ways we can keep our community and our career firefighters safe. I want to congratulate the leaders and staff at FASNY for advancing this worthy initiative and for their leadership in support of firefighters throughout New York State.”

Kenneth Pienkowski, President of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York: “Volunteer fire departments provide fire protection, fire prevention and emergency medical services in most of New York State, but with increasing call volumes and other challenges, we need more volunteers to staff those departments at levels that can consistently provide an effective level of response. This SAFER grant will go a long way towards augmenting the existing efforts of FASNY and the entire volunteer fire service to recruit and retain new volunteer firefighters.  We are very grateful to all of our local federal elected officials for their help in securing this grant to help us maintain and grow the volunteer ranks across the state.”

AFG grants are competitive and awarded directly to fire departments to protect public and first-responder health and safety. Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards. Funds under the SAFER program are intended to support the hiring of firefighters and the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

This funding is part of round 10 of the competitive FY 2016 announcements. For more information on the grants, visit the AFG website at www.fema.gov/firegrants. 

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