SCHUMER UNVEILS NEW STATE OF THE ART FIRE TRUCK AT CITY OF JOHNSTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT- DESPERATELY NEEDED LADDER TRUCK WILL INCREASE SAFETY AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY
Johnstown Fire Department Desperately Needed New Ladder Truck, Schumer Cut Through Red Tape, Delivered Funds
Today Marks Truck's First Day in Service; Schumer Marks First Day in Service with Unveiling Ceremony
On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer unveiled the Johnstown Fire Department's new, state of the art fire truck. Schumer, at the request of the Mayor Sarah Slingerland and Chief Bruce Heberer, aggressively pursued funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the truck. Schumer also helped cut through the red tape at a time when the department needed to decide whether to continue pursuing the grant or use local taxpayer funds to purchase the apparatus. During an appearance at the Johnstown firehouse, Schumer said that the new fire truck was desperately needed and is an important step forward for safety in the region.
"It took a lot of time and a lot of hard work to push the Department of Homeland Security but today the Johnstown Fire Department finally has a new ladder truck," Schumer said. "Getting this ladder truck will help our first responders, keep local residents safer and save the taxpayers a lot of money."
Last year, the city of Johnstown was desperate for a new ladder truck to replace an older vehicle. Mayor Slingerland and Fire Chief Bruce Heberer vigorously pursued funding through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) but were left with an uncertain future as the need for a new ladder truck became more apparent every day.
Slingerland and Heberer appealed to Senator Schumer in late December 2008 as they waited for DHS' decision. With the status of their grant application uncertain, Johnstown had to decide between buying a new truck with local funds to secure a low price, or risk waiting until 2009 - when the prices would increase - to hear the final decision from DHS on the funding. If DHS did not select the fire department for the grant, local taxpayers would have very likely been on the hook for the entire cost of the new ladder truck.
At the request of Slingerland and Herberer, Schumer aggressively pressed DHS to deliver the much-needed funds, and in January of 2009 Schumer announced that the Johnstown Fire Department would receive a $617,500 grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program to buy the new ladder truck. The fact that the grant was provided so early in 2009, at Schumer's request, allowed the company to purchase a truck at the cheaper 2008 price. The new ladder truck is a massive step forward for public safety in Johnstown and the city's first responders. The new ladder truck also represents much needed relief to taxpayers in Johnstown who, without receipt of the grant, would have likely had to bear the entire cost for the new truck at a time when many local communities are struggling through a difficult economic time and local governments are strapped for cash.
The old ladder truck was 28 years old and had fallen into disrepair. The city was paying over $1500 each year just keeping it running, but it had reached the point where they simply could not rely on it if there was a major fire. In an older, industrial city like Johnstown with multiple story wood frame buildings, old tanneries and mills and the new industrial park, having a dependable aerial ladder is essential to providing fire protection.
Schumer was among the first senators who recognized the need for the federal government to establish a funding program for local governments and fire departments to help defray the rising costs of equipment and fire prevention. Since 2004, the AFG program has provided billions to first-responders across the country to make vital safety upgrades, purchase life-saving equipment and purchase state of the art vehicles like the one that Johnstown will begin using today.
The $617,500 grant for the Johnstown Fire Department was part of Round 20 of the 2008 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program announcements.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) provides funding to local fire departments to help them improve the effectiveness of firefighting operations through specialized emergency training for response to situations like terrorist attacks; enhancement of emergency medical services programs; development of health and safety initiatives; establishment of fire education and prevention programs; creation of wellness and fitness programs; and equipment and facility upgrades.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security 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. More information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program can be accessed at http://www.firegrantsupport.
Schumer added, "Our first responders put their lives on the line every day and the least we can do is make sure they have the equipment they need to stay save and continue to save lives."
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