Emergency Operations Grant For Putnam County

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — New York has awarded $10 million in grants to localities across the state to support emergency response operations. Putnam came in for $114,462 of that.

These 2018-19 grant funds will allow county officials to make improvements to their 911 response and emergency service dispatch operations.

"It is critical that first responders have access to the services and technology they need to respond to situations where every second counts," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in an announcement about the grants. "These grants will allow counties to continue to upgrade and improve their emergency communications and ensure that New Yorkers are getting the fastest, safest response in their moment of need."

The annual PSAPs grant allows for state reimbursement to counties for eligible public safety call-taking and dispatching expenses.

These funds not only help county operators offset their day-to-day expenses, but can also foster upgrades in call-taking and dispatching technology and investing in new services such as text messaging, data communication, and improved geo-location for emergency response. Since the program's inception in 2010, counties have applied the funding to upgrades, including implementing text-to-911 services.

Today, 48 percent of all statewide counties offer text-to-911 services, up from 40 percent last year.

"These funds play an important role in helping counties to fund public safety communications initiatives including implementing next-generation 911 services such as text-to-911," said Roger L. Parrino, Sr., Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. "Our Office of Interoperable Emergency Communications will continue to work with counties to advise them on how to implement upgrades that meet national and state standards and answer related questions."

The funding is administered by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services through the Public Safety Answering Points Operations Grant.

2018-19 PSAP Operations Grant Awards include:

• Orange - $162,755
• Putnam- $114,462
• Rockland - $264,151
• Dutchess - $163,100

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