Officials celebrate with Newburgh firefighters as Sen. William Larkin
announced full funding for
communication radions (photo: Anthony Lucarelli)
NEWBURGH – Following the fire and explosion at the Verla Industries
manufacturing facility in New Windsor last year in which several Newburgh
City firefighters were injured when they responded, Fire Chief Terry Ahlers
assessed that a part of the problem was a lack of communication between
and among fire departments.
He asked Senator William Larkin if he could secure some funding for a
new radio system and on Tuesday, the lawmaker announced while at the city’s
main firehouse that he was able to have the entire $250,000 price tag
covered.
Ahlers said his firefighters did follow protocols when an explosion occurred
at Verla. “They called mayday and nobody could hear them.”
“The City of Newburgh deserves the proper care as anyone else,”
Larkin said, noting that firefighters risk their levels every time they
go into a burning building.
“Let us all work together. Let us help one another and let us remember
we are put on this earth to help our neighbor, our brother, our sister,”
he said.
“Larkin does it again,” Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois
exclaimed when the announcement was made.
District Attorney David Hoovler took the occasion of the announcement
to urge the city to find the money to fully fund the fire department.
A dozen firefighters, paid for by a soon-to-expire federal grant, will
be laid off if no additional money is secured by this summer.
