SENATOR AMEDORE SECURES FUNDING FOR ALBANY COUNTY FIRST RESPONDERS

Senator George Amedore today joined Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple to announce he has secured $60,000 in funding from this year’s state budget to help improve communications and operations for emergency services, including police, fire and EMS, throughout the County.

The funds will be used to purchase 800 megahertz radios for fire departments and EMS departments within Albany County that will allow them to communicate on the countywide interoperable radio system that is currently under development.

“It is common sense that our police officers, our fire departments, and EMS services are able to communicate with each other when they are responding to calls. It will help them do their jobs more efficiently and will greatly improve public safety throughout Albany County. Providing resources to our first responders is so important, and I’m happy I was able to assist the Albany County Sheriff’s Office with this initiative” said Senator Amedore.

 “The new interoperable radio system will greatly improve radio communication throughout Albany County which is critically important as we respond to emergencies,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple. “We all have a common goal: to keep the public safe and secure, and with this new radio system, we’ll be better equipped to do so. The radios can be expensive, particularly for smaller, more rural districts, so the funds secured by Senator Amedore will go a long way to helping to make sure each department is properly equipped when the countywide radio system is completed.”

The plan for a countywide radio system was launched by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office last year in order to give emergency responders from multiple agencies the ability to communicate with each other directly. The system is being funded with a combination of federal grant money and County funding, and is expected to be fully operational within the next six months.

With the funds secured by Senator Amedore, the following departments are expected to receive an additional portable 800 MHz radio: New Salem FD; Voorheesville FD; Onesquethaw FD; Berne FD; Knox FD; Westerlo FD; Rensselaerville FD; Tri-Village FD; Medusa FD; Helderberg EMS; Rensselaerville EMS; Voorheesville EMS; Westerlo EMS; Coeymans FD; Coeymans Hollow FD; Ravena FD; Ravena EMS; Slingerlands FD; Guilderland Center Fire District; Guilderland Fire Department; Westmere Fire Department; Fort Hunter Fire Department; and McKownville Fire Department.

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