NEWBURGH – Piggybacking on the recent third consecutive SAFER grant acquisition by the City of Newburgh Fire Department in September, Representative Sean Maloney (D-NY18) visited the department to encourage support, but also a proactive, localized approach to funding for the future.
Maloney said Friday that although he is dedicated to continuing the fight for adequate funding for staff and equipment, he is hoping the city will take charge since the federal funding will run out in two years’ time, with a slim chance of receiving SAFER funding again for a fourth consecutive time.
“The City of Newburgh needs to start planning now for the future expense of this department and putting resources aside to do that. That is the only thing, in the end that is going to work,” said Maloney. “A community like this needs good first responders to support everything else; that helps our business community, that helps, obviously, our residents and it’s absolutely the moral thing to do for these guys who put their lives on the line.”
Maloney acknowledged the financial situation of the city’s local government but is urging a preemptive approach so the city’s firefighters aren’t constantly on edge about layoffs, lack of equipment and substandard facilities with the only recourse being reliant on federal funds.
