The Democrat, who serves on the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, joined state and local lawmakers at the Hooker Avenue Fire Station to deliver checks to the Arlington, Beacon, Rifton, Kripplebush, and Tivoli Fire Departments. Rifton and Tivoli received the largest checks — $500,000 each — after Ryan nominated them for Community Project Funding in this year’s federal budget.
“It should be easy to get funding and resources for folks that are literally willing to risk their lives on a daily basis, running into danger," says Ryan. "But it is, especially at the federal level, way too hard, and way to slow, and way too frustrating.”
The Rifton Fire District plans to use the funds to rebuild its fire hall, which dates to 1943. The Tivoli Fire Company, which has doubled in size since a blaze devastated its firehouse back in 2019, plans to put its check toward a $4 million campaign to expand its building. The Arlington, Kripplebush, and Beacon Fire Departments all received checks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for infrastructure improvements and equipment upgrades.
This year, Ryan has nominated the Arlington, Port Jervis, and Poughkeepsie Fire Departments for more than $2.6 million in Community Project Funding. Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Joseph Franco says approximately $800,000 of that would go toward modernizing the Hooker Avenue Fire Station, which is 95-years-old.
“When all the repairs are done, we’re looking at possibly another 40-50 years out of this firehouse," says Franco. "It’s structurally sound, we had an independent firm come in. It just needs some help.”
Congress still needs to pass the funds as part of its Fiscal Year 2025 budget in the fall. If approved, the Arlington Fire District says it would use its share — $1 million — to renovate the Rochdale Fire Station, expanding its truck bays and creating separate sleeping quarters for men and women firefighters. The Port Jervis Fire Department would use its share to buy a new pumper fire truck.
The money comes as many Hudson Valley communities grapple with a shortage of first responders in fire and EMS services, lengthening wait times and increasing a reliance on mutual aid (when fire stations lend help to neighboring departments). Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, a Democrat, says staffing volunteer fire departments right now is especially tough.
"Many of our departments are volunteer. In Ulster County, they are almost all volunteer. And it is very hard to scrape together the resources to make the improvements that you have to make to be able to keep your own volunteers — your own professional firefighters — safe, and to respond effectively to emergencies when they occur," she explains.
New York state and counties are trying to bolster volunteer ranks via tax breaks and other incentives. Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino, a Republican, says she hopes investing in local departments will help them better recruit and retain staff.
"Sprucing up these firehouses that desperately need the work will hopefully inspire more people to volunteer," adds Serino.
