Seven Long Island Fire Districts to Share Nearly $2M in State Grants

Seven Long Island volunteer fire departments and districts will share $1.97 million in state capital grants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced, part of a $25 million award to 65 volunteer departments statewide.

The money comes through the Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment program, or V-FIRE, run by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Officials said the awards are meant to offset rising equipment and construction costs that have strained fire-company budgets.

Long Island recipients are Alert Engine Hook Ladder and Hose Co. No. 1 in Great Neck, the City of Glen Cove Fire Department, Halesite Fire District, Huntington Manor Fire District, the Village of Amityville Fire Department, New Hyde Park Fire District and the Village of Lynbrook Fire Department. Individual awards range from $95,000 to $287,324.

In Amityville, Chief Robert Macomber said his department's $125,000 grant will pay for a new self-contained breathing apparatus fill station — equipment he called long overdue. The current fill station is 27 years old.

"These grants are great for us to be able to replace these kinds of big-ticket items that we are not able to put in our regular budget," Macomber said. "It's hard to budget $125,000 on one item. We're a small village."

He said a working fill station matters most on overnight calls. "If we have a call at 2 a.m., I'm able to send a crew back to headquarters to fill 20 bottles," rather than waiting for an outside company to restock at the scene, Macomber said. The village had sought grant money for the replacement for four years.

Amityville Mayor Mike O'Neill said the grant reflects what emergency services actually cost. "In today's day and age, fire and EMS service is just a very expensive business that we're in, particularly for these types of critical infrastructure and equipment," O'Neill said.

Hochul said the grants recognize the role of volunteer firefighters statewide. Officials noted that emergency call volume has climbed nearly 30% in recent years even as volunteer rosters have shrunk at roughly three-quarters of departments across the state.