Grant to Provide Rescue Training for White Plains Fire Department
The White Plains Fire Department was awarded a $336,430 federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) on Aug. 1 to provide rescue training for personnel in the fire department’s Rescue Company.
“New York’s first responders put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and we must ensure that they have the training to perform their critical public service while ensuring their own safety,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Harrison) who worked to make the grant possible.
The Rescue Company is staffed 24/7 and responds to emergencies including fires, building collapses, trench collapses, and vehicle accidents. The City of White Plains is required to provide a 10 percent match of the federal grant, for a total of $370,073 for the White Plains Fire Department.
The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This latest FEMA grant brings the total received by the White Plains Fire Department up to almost $4 million. That includes a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant of $1.9 million in 2010, which enabled the City to rehire nine firefighters, and a federal grant of $330,000 in 2016 to upgrade safety packs for firefighters.
“This grant funding will enable the White Plains Fire Department to provide enhanced rescue training to its personnel, an important component of their work that encompasses rescue in many different types of situations,” White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said, thanking Lowey for her advocacy.
