Harckham Announces State Grants for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Senate District 40

Peekskill, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced today that municipalities in Senate District 40 will receive aid from the state to increase their emergency preparedness and response capabilities. The funding, which is part of a $7.4 million statewide package of grants, will support vital training and equipment for first responders and specialized law enforcement, including bomb squads, hazardous materials teams and explosive detection canine teams. The funding will also enhance the municipalities’ cyber security capabilities.

“To best safeguard the state’s residents we need to take every opportunity possible to strengthen our resources for when serious, unexpected and dangerous situations occur,” said Harckham. “This funding will help officials district-wide maintain the highest level of public safety and give emergency response professionals the support they need with state-of-the-art equipment and technology.”

The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services manages the targeted grant programs and has already distributed more than $80 million through the State Homeland Security Program. 

The grants that municipalities in Senate District 40 will receive are:

Bomb Squads - $309,091 for Westchester County to help equip and train the county’s FBI-accredited bomb squad (one of 12 statewide) to locate and prevent potential emergencies caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). More than $23.6 million in dedicated homeland security funding has been awarded to New York bomb squads over 14 consecutive years.

Hazardous Materials Targeted Grant Program - $132,000 for resources that include Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam counties. This program serves as a resource for 18 regional hazardous materials teams, outside of New York City, to sustain and enhance hazmat capabilities to help New Yorkers respond to and recover from acts of terrorism and other emergencies. Regions can use this funding to obtain and maintain essential equipment, implement the HazMat Team Accreditation Program, conduct training and exercises, and develop and update hazmat response plans.

Explosive Detection Canine Team Grant Program - $50,000 for Westchester County, $20,000 for Dutchess County and $15,000 for City of Peekskill law enforcement with active road patrol aid to develop and enhance their explosive detection canine capabilities. Explosive detection canine teams provide a visible, proactive police presence in areas of mass gathering, transportation centers and critical infrastructure sites. In addition to this deterrence presence, they provide a mobile response capability for detection and identification of potential explosive device incidents.

Cyber Security Grant Program - $50,000 for Westchester County, $50,000 for Dutchess County and $18,000 for Putnam County to support efforts in their cities, towns, and villages to enhance their ability to protect, detect, identify, respond to and recover from cyber incidents. Funding may be utilized to mitigate capability gaps that have been identified through a risk assessment methodology. 

Critical Infrastructure Grant Program - $50,000 for Town of Carmel to promote a common understanding and approach to risk management as well as providing funding to support local first responders’ efforts to mitigate risk and enhance protection capabilities at mass gatherings, special event sites, and government owned critical infrastructure sites.