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Public Safety wins grants, plans fire‑investigator training and county EMS update
Summary
Deputy Director Tim Hardy said Washington County received a $42,865 SHSP award and a $24,162 EMPG award (both slightly reduced from prior allocations), outlined a low‑cost plan to certify three fire‑investigator trainees, and said a required county EMS system plan is due to the state by Dec. 19.
Deputy Director Tim Hardy reported the Public Safety office received two federal/state grants: a State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) award of $42,865 (about $25,000 below the prior allocation) and an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) award of $24,162 (about $2,400 below the prior allocation). Hardy said SHSP funds will target prioritized categories such as cybersecurity and election security and that the departments are considering shared projects that would benefit both Public Safety and the Sheriff’s Office.
Hardy also described a training path for three fire‑investigator trainees who are working alongside a current investigator. He said county instructors could teach the International Association of Arson Investigators fundamentals course locally, with materials costing under $1,500 and no travel required, followed by fieldwork and certification testing. He noted the county could reallocate Fire Training Center funds if the training budget is strained and planned to bring any funding request back to the committee in July.
On EMS planning, Hardy distributed an overview of the NYS-required County EMS System Plan and said Washington County must submit its plan by Dec. 19. The effort will require substantial data collection from municipal and village EMS agencies and the county aims to present a draft for adoption this year. Hardy also shared operational notices: high‑temperature public messaging about cooling centers and a July 12 full closure on State Route 149 in Fort Ann for major road work, with truck detours.
Hardy thanked training staff for two communications officers who recently finished training, noted continued staffing shortages and plans to hire additional pre‑d iem staff, and said replacement desks for the 911 center will be installed next week. "The entire public safety world is in a fragile state," Hardy said, describing resource pressures.
Why it matters: The grants provide targeted funding for cybersecurity/election security and emergency management functions; training and EMS‑plan deadlines signal near‑term operational and intergovernmental work that will affect county emergency response capabilities.
