Cortland Fire Dept. to receive more than $190K in funding for new rescue vehicles

CORTLAND — The City of Cortland Fire Department will receive $190,477 in federal funding to purchase new vehicles, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D–NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–NY) announced.

The money was allocated to the fire department through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). 

“We applied for the AFG fund to help replace our old rescue truck. This award could not have come at a better time,” Charles Glover, Cortland Fire Department (FD) fire chief, said in a news release issued by the senators. “We were beginning to question its reliability when it comes to responding in emergency situations. This grant will allow us to replace our antiquated truck without placing the burden on the taxpayers in the City of Cortland,” he added.

The City of Cortland FD is technically only responsible for serving the city, but it currently is the only fire department in all of Cortland County that has the capability to respond to technical rescues, water rescues, and hazmat calls, the release noted.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the Department’s United States Fire Administration. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that most closely address the program’s priorities and demonstrate financial need, per the release. More information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program can be found at http://www.fema.gov/firegrants.