Schumer Announces FEMA Aid for Local Fire, Ambulance Departments

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer revealed Monday that he has secured more $650,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide 71 Nassau County Fire Departments and Volunteer Ambulance Corps (VAC) with updated radio equipment in order to meet a looming federal radio mandate.

The mandate, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013, requires that all emergency communications equipment operate on a new frequency that current communications equipment does not support.

“This is a huge victory for Nassau fire departments that were set to get socked with huge fees to meet this federal mandate,” Schumer said in a release. “Now, help is on the way – FEMA has agreed to pick up the tab, and Nassau taxpayers are spared the cost.”

The  (NCPD), which operates the Emergency Ambulance Bureau through local fire departments and ambulance corps, had applied for the funding to meet the mandate. If they had not received it, the costs would have been passed on to what Schumer described as the already “over-burdened” fire departments – and then on to Nassau County taxpayers.

Schumer, in a press conference in Nassau County in January and in a personal call to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, had urged the agency to support Nassau’s application for the funding. The senator said that today’s announcement was a huge victory for Nassau County and for those who risk their lives to protect local the county's residents.

As of Jan. 1, 2013, the FCC will require that all emergency communications operate on a narrow-band frequency at 12.5 kHz efficiency. Currently, all medical communications between NCPD's Medical Control, the local fire departments and VAC’s is conducted over a UHF frequency. According to Schumer, this antiquated system is plagued with static, interference and compatibility issues.

After Jan. 1, 2013, anyone not operating at the new frequency could be subject to fines.

“It is my understanding that this funding will be applied to the upgrade of Medical Control radios,”  ex-Chief Rob Connolly said in an e-mail “These radios allow first responders to communicate directly with Medical Control. The Mineola Fire Department does not run EMS as this service is provided by the ”

While Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Chief Joel Orr admitted that he did not know the specifics of the grant money, he said that “it would definitely help us to offset the cost for the necessary equipment even though we were taking some measures to counteract it in case it didn’t come through.”

The ambulance corps had recently received $200,000 in grant money for an ambulance which was but was pulled back by the former Democratic majority. The money was later.

The department had just sent off a $39,000 grant request to help equip pay for a portion of the cost of outfitting the trucks with the new radio equipment.

“We’ll see what happens because I still have to get in touch with Sen. Schumer’s office to see if we’re eligible,” he said.