By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Sennett Fire Department in Cayuga County, New York, will receive $1 million, the maximum award, through the state’s Volunteer Fire Infrastructure and Response Equipment Grant Program.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that 65 volunteer fire departments statewide will share $25 million through the V-FIRE program.
- The program, administered by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, funds equipment purchases, facility improvements and service consolidation.
- In Central New York, eight departments across five counties will receive more than $3.8 million combined, including four in Cayuga County.
- Hochul’s office says volunteer fire departments serve about 9 million New Yorkers, nearly half the state’s population, amid a volunteer shortage and a 29% rise in call volume.
CAYUGA COUNTY, N.Y. — The Sennett Fire Department is one of 10 departments statewide to receive the maximum $1 million award through New York’s Volunteer Fire Infrastructure and Response Equipment Grant Program, part of $25 million in funding Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week for 65 volunteer fire departments.
The V-FIRE program, administered by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, funds equipment purchases, facility improvements and consolidation of services among volunteer departments. Other departments receiving the maximum $1 million award include the Farmington Volunteer Fire Association in Ontario County, the Richfield Springs and West Edmeston fire departments in Otsego County, and the Volney Volunteer Fire Corporation in Oswego County.
“Our volunteer firefighters answer the call day and night, keeping New York communities across the state safe,” Hochul said in a statement. “By investing an additional $25 million in V-FIRE grant funding for volunteer firefighters, we are ensuring our local heroes are equipped with modern facilities, advanced gear and tools they need to respond quickly and safely when they get the call.”
According to Hochul’s office, the funding was distributed across the state’s economic development regions, excluding New York City. In Central New York, which includes Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties, eight departments will receive a combined total of more than $3.8 million, including four in Cayuga County. The King Ferry Fire District will receive $824,000, the Fair Haven Volunteer Fire Department will receive $229,000, and the Weedsport Fire Department will receive $52,790. In the neighboring Finger Lakes region, Waterloo in Seneca County was awarded $391,331, and the Red Creek Fire Department in Wayne County will receive $264,741.
Hochul’s office said about 9 million New Yorkers, nearly half the state’s population, are served by volunteer fire departments, which face a shortage of volunteers even as call volume has increased 29%. To address the shortage, Hochul has expanded a stipend program, created in 2023, that pays volunteer firefighters who complete training, and has signed legislation allowing local governments to offer property tax exemptions of up to 10% for volunteer first responders.