$100,000 grant from state upgrades Goldens Bridge firefighters’ radio

The Goldens Bridge Fire District has received a state capital funding grant of $100,000 for new radio communication equipment that will enable it to access the frequencies required for 60 Control, the county’s emergency dispatch center.

The grant was facilitated by state Sen. Pete Harckham and is funded through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

“Clear and efficient communications among first-responders can be the difference between life and death in an emergency situation,” Harckham said in a statement. “I was proud to secure the grant funding to provide the Goldens Bridge FD with a new set of radios to ensure effective lines of communication between members of the department and other first responders in the area.”

“On behalf of the District, Fire Department personnel, and community residents and businesses, we are extremely grateful to Sen. Harckham for this $100,000 DASNY grant because it supports critical new equipment essential to emergency response and to the safety of our Firefighters and the community they serve,” said Edward Brancati, chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Goldens Bridge Fire District. 

“The new radio equipment enables us to provide rapid, efficient, and coordinated emergency services, which enhances the safety of our firefighters and the residents, businesses, institutions, and others in the community in their time of need,” Golden’s Bridge Fire Chief Albert Melillo said. “Fire departments across the County had to upgrade their systems in order to operate under the new radio frequencies and communicate with the dispatch center.”

The grant covered the purchase of personal firefighter pagers, mobile radios,  a base station radio with a power source independent of the power grid, and a fire siren radio.