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County to pass state rescue grant funds to Ithaca Fire Department for technical rescue equipment and training
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Summary
A fiscal-year 2022 state grant will be accepted and used to buy technical-rescue equipment and fund training for Ithaca Fire Department and other regional teams; the county will asset-tag purchases and reimburse IFD for training and overtime.
The Public Safety Committee approved acceptance of a fiscal-year 2022 grant to support technical rescue and urban search-and-rescue capabilities and to pass those funds through to Ithaca Fire Department (IFD), which provides countywide technical-rescue services.
Jess (county staff) explained the grant is a pass-through mechanism: the county will purchase equipment using the grant funds, asset-tag the items, and assign them to IFD; IFD will submit training and overtime costs for reimbursement. The grant will support specialized equipment and training for confined-space, rope, trench and water rescue operations.
Committee members praised IFD and other local departments for their high-level work. "It was truly like amazing to see, everyone work together," legislator Shauna said, describing a recent response involving a rope rescue in a ravine; staff noted that few departments provide the full suite of technical-rescue services and that IFD is the primary county-level resource.
The resolution passed unanimously after a motion by Shauna and a second by Mike. The committee directed staff to complete the procurement and reimbursement steps so IFD can receive equipment and training.
