Senators Secure $230,000 For Inwood Fire Department

Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Monday that they had helped secure $230,286 in federal funding for the Inwood Fire Department to purchase 41 new self-contained breathing apparatus and 82 air bottles for its volunteer firefighters.

According to the fire department, the new breathing apparatus are equipped with a location technology to help locate firefighters who may be trapped in a blaze. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG).

"This much-needed federal funding will provide the assistance that the Inwood Fire Department needs to purchase life-saving equipment for our volunteer firefighters," said Schumer. "First responders are our primary line of defense — they safeguard our residents and protect our property. It’s crucial that we provide our fire departments with state-of-the-art resources they need to do their jobs safely and to the best of their ability."

The Inwood Fire Department serves a population of more than 20,000 in the Five Towns, Valley Stream, Meadowmere Park, Atlantic Beach and Long Beach. The Inwood Fire Department is made up of more than 100 members, all volunteers, and a fleet of three engines, one ladder truck, one heavy rescue squad, two BLS ambulances, four boats and other support vehicles.

"These federal funds will allow first responders at the Inwood Fire Department to purchase the up-to-date equipment they need to do their jobs safely," Gillibrand said. "Every day our first responders risk their lives to protect us, and I will always fight in the Senate to make sure our local fire departments have the support they need to keep their communities safe."

In 2014, Chief Joseph Sanford, Jr. was tragically killed in the line of duty while responding to a fire at a Woodmere home. Sanford was a 17-year veteran of the fire department. According to reports, Sanford was found trapped in the basement of the Woodmere home after falling through the first floor. The new technologically advanced breathing apparatus could help prevent similar tragedies in the future by locating any firefighters who may be trapped.

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