Fire departments receive FEMA grant

Fire departments within the town of Dryden recently received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant that provides assistance in recruiting volunteers and more.

The Dryden, Etna, Varna and Freeville fire departments were awarded a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant of $397,710.

The SAFER grant, with plans to spend the funds across four years, will aid the town-based fire departments in recruiting new members and encourage existing members to stay active in their respective departments.

“Receiving this grant is one of the biggest positive events that has happened to the volunteer fire departments in the town of Dryden in the last 40 years,” said Chris Connor, the town’s fire coordinator.

A release on the awarding of funds noted that part of the grant will be used for direct recruiting costs, including video production, printing, postage and recruiting in Tompkins Cortland Community College and local school districts.

The rest of the funds will be used to purchase protective clothing for firefighters “to keep them safe” while at fires and other incidents, the release noted. Funds will also be earmarked for required physical exams of firefighters on a yearly basis and mileage reimbursement for new members when they drive to required training classes.

Connor, who volunteered for Varna fire department for 40 years and served as its fire chief for six years, mentioned that it could cost up to $10,000 to provide a new firefighter before they debut at their first fire or emergency call.

“That money used to be paid by the fire departments, using money given to them by town taxpayers,” Connor said. “In truth, the town’s fire departments have heretofore struggled with allocating enough of their funding to provide newly recruited firefighters with everything they needed.”

Connor said the plan is to “design and implement a concerted, town wide and long-lasting” recruitment campaign. Currently, Connor said, there are about 140 volunteer firefighters protecting around 14,000 town residents.

“That’s one in a hundred people,” Connor said.

About 10 years ago, the four departments within the town had over 400 volunteers, which went to “half as many” 911 calls as in the modern day, Connor added.

“This grant money will be used to get the word to as many people as possible [by saying] ‘We need you to step up and join us in protecting your family and neighbors now,’” Connor said.

Earlier this year, Connor said the grant was submitted as a 32-page regional grant application, which meant that all four departments worked together to provide Connor with requisite information for the application process.

“I emphatically told all the departments when I first met with them, ‘You’re going to be much stronger and more effective if you work together than fight amongst yourselves. No one fire department in the town of Dryden can fight a house fire on their own; you all need the help every other department in town can willingly provide to you,’” Connor said.

Connor noted that progress has been made “on this front already.”

“This grant award is, at least in part, due to the fact that FEMA loves to see collaboration within the fire service,” Connor said.

It was noted that the four departments are involved in a performance-based grant, Connor said.

“The funding will, per FEMA rules, be given to each fire department as reimbursements for expenses incurred, rather than divided up equally or at the beginning,” Connor added. “A fire department that is more successful at recruiting and retaining more members will ‘get’ more of the money, just as an individual firefighter who goes to more calls will ‘get’ more of that money set aside to help increase responses to calls.”

Connor said the grant funding will aid in getting the word out about volunteering and other opportunities.

“It will help with not only getting the word out that the town of Dryden desperately needs more people to step up and serve with their neighborhood fire department,” Connor said. “All of the fire departments need members, and not just to go into burning buildings or treat sick or injured people. All of the town’s fire departments need good people to help them with the management of their organizations, too. There’s a place for almost everyone in one of the fire departments in the town. You’ll gain friendships, learn how to work as part of a team, and will be given the opportunity to learn lifelong, lifesaving skills.”

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Village of Dryden office to be closed on Mondays

The village of Dryden announced that village hall on 16 South St. will be closed on Mondays throughout September.

Closing the office on Mondays will help the village finish going through records, sorting and filing and finishing the village hall renovation project. Payments can go in the drop box or be mailed.

Village hall will still be open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Program on restoration of Dryden fair poster is Sept. 10

The Dryden Town Historical Society (DTHC) will hold a program on the restoration of the 1885 Dryden Fair poster on Sept. 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the village hall at 16 South St.

Luisa Casella, of West Lake Conservators, will present the poster. It was previously heavily damaged and in dire condition.

For more information, contact the DTHC at 607-844-9209 or drydennyhistory@gmail.com.