Town gets grant for fire equipment
NASSAU, N.Y.» Town Supervisor David Fleming was pleased to see that the town along with other nearby communities receive grant funding to purchase new fire equipment.
Fleming said the town submitted the grant on behalf of the town along with the Hoags Corners, Tsatsawassa and Nassau fire departments as well as Hoags Corners and Nassau ambulance services.
Fleming said they were recently notified that they received a $50,000 grant from the State Municipal Facilities Program, thanks to assistance from Sen. Kathleen Marchione.
The $50,000 is being used to purchase an Argo Fire Rescue ATV transport vehicle and trailer for the town and other nearby communities to share.
The town will use the funds for the Argo vehicle, transport trailer, trailer lettering and miscellaneous equipment.
Fleming said the grant idea came out of regular emergency services committee meetings that include the fire and ambulance chiefs and town supervisors, mayors and highway department.
Fleming said that with the expansion of recreational preserves in the community (now nearly 700 acres, 20 miles of trails and with a private ATV club of nearly 900 acres) necessitated rescue equipment to reach individuals in remote locations and difficult conditions in an emergency situation. After a drill at one of the preserves, it was determined by the Nassau Emergency Services Committee that current equipment from all the departments would not meet this need.
“We have witnessed significant growth in Nassau as a recreational destination. Town residents and those across the Capital Region have been enjoying the natural beauty of the town in many ways and in every season. As the number of recreational areas continues to increase, we want to make sure our emergency services capabilities keep pace with this development,” Fleming said.
All agencies and municipalities worked together to do this joint services application to have a centralized equipment purchase. This eliminates redundancy, insurance costs, and allows everyone to be trained on the same equipment.
“This is a great example of our emergency services and local governments working together to save money by pooling resources and experience to better serve our residents and visitors,” Fleming said.
Fleming said the state paperwork is being completed and the town hopes to have the vehicle in service by fall.
“This new grant will allow all our emergency services partners and town departments to be trained on the same equipment and this joint purchase will reduce costs both in the short and long term,” Fleming said.