The Potsdam Fire Department has been awarded a $121,553 federal grant for the purchase of new hose and equipment. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program. The federal funding will allow the fire department to replace hose that is over 20 years old and upgrade its large diameter hose (LDH) to five inch hose. It will also fund the purchase of the related adapters and appliances as they switch from four inch to five inch as well as permanently mounted hydrant adapters for all the hydrants in the village.
“The replacing and upgrading of the hose to five inch will allow us to do our job more effectively and efficiently for the citizens of Potsdam,” according to Chief Justin Perry. “More importantly, we will be able to do this without a significant financial burden on the taxpayers. We have been fortunate that, since 2003, our in house grant writer has been able to secure over a half million dollars in federal grant funding for the department. This funding was for required equipment that would otherwise have been fully funded by the taxpayers. We have been able, through our grant writing, to save the taxpayers of Potsdam a substantial amount of money while providing our volunteer firefighters with the safe and up to date equipment to do their job.”
The Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency 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.com/.