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| Senator Griffo Secures $130,000 to Help Enhance Emergency Services in Lewis County 08/14/17 03:30pm |
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Senator Griffo secures $130,000 to help enhance emergency services in Lewis County
Serving the Public LOWVILLE, NY– State Senator Joseph Griffo today announced $130,000 in state funding that he has secured to purchase new vehicles that will help enhance public safety and emergency services in Lewis County. Standing outside the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department in Lowville, Senator Joseph Griffo was joined by Lewis County Sheriff Michael Carpinelli and Justin Astafan, Chief of Operations for Lewis County Search and Rescue, as he announced the funding that will be used to purchase new vehicles for both agencies. “The need to be prepared for an emergency is the same in any community, large or small, so it is critical that our public safety and emergency agencies have the reliable equipment and vehicles they need when it comes to saving lives,” said Senator Joseph Griffo, R-Rome. “But in many of the smaller communities across my district, it is not always easy for public safety agencies to be able to afford buying new equipment to replace the old. I will always do whatever I can to help ensure that these agencies have the resources they need to keep our citizens safe, and I am glad to secure this funding to provide these communities with reliable emergency vehicles.” $100,000 – NEW AMBULANCE FOR LEWIS COUNTY SEARCH AND RESCUE This amount secured by Senator Griffo will be used to purchase a new ambulance that will replace one of the six ambulances currently used by Lewis County Search and Rescue. One of the ambulances is about 10 years old, with 200,000 miles on it, so a new reliable and more fuel-efficient ambulance was necessary to strengthen the fleet as the number of calls they respond to continues to climb toward about 2,500 calls this year. The agency does many long-distance transfers to Syracuse, Utica, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and sometimes Boston, so this new ambulance will help avoid using the same vehicles to travel so many miles. $30,000 – NEW EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE FOR LEWIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT. These funds awarded through the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, with Senator Griffo’s advocacy, will be used to help purchase a new Ford police service pickup truck for the Sheriff’s Parks and Recreation Division that can be used during patrols and emergencies across more rugged terrain, such as up hills and through snow or mud for ATV and snowmobile accidents. This new vehicle will replace the current vehicle the department uses, which is about 12 years old. “When we’re handling nearly 2,000 emergency calls a year, and transferring patients across hundreds of miles, we need to ensure the public that our vehicles and equipment are reliable and up to the task,” said Justin Astafan, Chief of Operations for Lewis County Search and Rescue, Inc. “We appreciate Senator Griffo’s efforts to secure this funding because otherwise it would have to come out of our operating budget. When we have new equipment that is more reliable and more economic on fuel, this will save everyone money on fuel costs, provide better equipment to work with and guarantee that our community has better vehicles to be transported in during emergencies.” “We don’t have a large tax base in our region, so this assistance really helps us get the equipment our department needs to do their job and we truly appreciate Senator Griffo’s support,” said Lewis County Sheriff Michael Carpinelli. “Having a reliable vehicle like this is important because of the influx of recreational tourists and visitors our area receives, so we need to be able to properly take care of people that come here in a safe and effective manner during times of emergencies.” ### |
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