U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Otter Lake Fire Company will receive a total of $1,126,431 from the Fiscal Year 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grant Program (SCG). SCG seeks to support organizations lacking the tools and resources necessary to effectively protect the health and safety of the public and their emergency response personnel with respect to fire and all other hazards. The funding will be used to construct a brand new facility for Otter Lake.
Senator Schumer wrote a letter of support for Otter Lake’s application for this funding.
“This is a massive and well deserved shot in the arm for the Otter Lake Fire Company. It is critical that we equip our emergency response units with the resources they need to keep our communities safe,” said Schumer. “Providing the Otter Lake Fire Company with these funds will enable them to build a brand new state-of-the-art fire station to more quickly and effectively respond to fires. I have consistently fought to support our fire departments through this grant program and I will continue to do so in the future.”
“This is a great investment for the Otter Lake community,” Senator Gillibrand said. “These federal dollars will help improve the fire department’s facilities, help them do their jobs better and keep Otter Lake families safe, and create new jobs in the process. I will continue working with Senator Schumer to make sure New York gets its fair share from the federal government.”
“We have been dreaming about this moment for 10 years,” said Chief Daniel Abrial. “We are very elated and extremely privileged to receive this grant. This money will enable us to construct a new facility that will be handicap accessible and will provide a safe environment for all of our first responders and staff. We would like to thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and all of the federal, state, county and local officials for their efforts in securing this grant.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) provides financial assistance directly to fire departments on a competitive basis to build new or modify existing fire stations in order for departments to enhance their response capability and protect the community they serve from fire and fire-related hazards.
Congress appropriated a total of $210 million for this Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 program.
The program will be administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program Office.