County gets $1.4M to upgrade emergency response

Thursday, January 30, 2025 - 18:46

Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff

“Communication is key during emergencies …,” Jackie Bray, commissioner for the state’s Division of Homeland Security, said this week, commenting on the importance of communication infrastructure for first responders as the state awarded $55 million to that end. Bray is pictured here at a Fourth of July fireworks safety demonstration in Guilderland.

ALBANY COUNTY — Two state grants have netted Albany County over $1.4 million for emergency response and communications systems.

The county received $1,175,916 from a $45 million grant under the State Interoperable Communications Formula Grant Program and then another $235,855 from a $10 million grant under the Public Safety Answering Point Grant Program.

Funding will help counties buy new equipment, upgrade technology, and improve training, and will encourage the development of Next Generation 911 technologies, according to a Jan. 29 release from the governor’s office, announcing the awards.

“Communication is key during emergencies and these grants will help communities across New York state get training and maintain and improve their systems,” said Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray in the release. “The professionals who take emergency calls and dispatch emergency responders are the first line of assistance, and we want to help ensure they have the tools they need.”

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