TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18) announced on Monday that the Arlington Fire District is receiving grant money that will fund training for its professional firefighters in the specialized area of trench rescues.
Noting that he has helped the Arlington Fire District in obtaining nearly $600,000 in grants since taking office, Maloney said he is working with Arlington to secure a $3 million grant from FEMA under the SAFER program that will allow Arlington to hire eight new firefighters over the next three years. “We’re not going to give up until we get it.”
The new $166,144 grant comes from the Federal Assistance to Firefighters grant program. The money will be used for the training and certification of Arlington’s professional firefighters in the highly specialized area of trench rescue. Under the grant program, FEMA will provide $151,040 for training costs, while the fire district will contribute $15,104, according to Fire Chief Bill Steenbergh. The grant will train every one of the career staff in the department to Trench Rescue Operations Level, and 45 members to certification as a Trench Rescue Technician.
“Technical rescues, like trench collapses, are amongst the most challenging and dangerous incidents that our responders could ever be called upon to handle,” Chief Steenbergh said. “It requires specialized training and equipment that are beyond the capacity of most agencies.”
With the congressional redistricting, Maloney will no longer be representing the Arlington Fire District.
Newly-elected Congressman Pat Ryan, if elected in the November race, will represent the area that includes the Arlington Fire District. Ryan, who until recently was the Ulster County executive, is familiar with emergency services. “As the Ulster County executive I saw firsthand the heroism, the sacrifice, and bravery of our first responders,” he said, noting that he will be working in Washington to secure vital funding for emergency services, including working with Maloney to secure the $3 million SAFER grant for new firefighters.
