West Point FD Receives Funding For Emergency Equipment

WEST POINT, NY — The United States Army said it will fully fund the West Point Fire Department, just two weeks after U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer pointed out the shortfall.

Schumer said Wednesday the Army has now committed $1.8 million — 150 percent of the fire department’s original request — to replace outdated emergency response equipment and give West Point firefighters the peace of mind and financial security they have desperately needed and deserved.

He said West Point firefighters rush to danger every day to keep more than 6,500 military families, service members and community members safe.

“That’s why when I found out that these firefighters only got 5 percent of what West Point asked for last year to replace failing equipment, I said enough is enough and immediately sounded the alarm,” Schumer said, “promising to use all of my power to get them the help they needed and deserved.”

Schumer, who personally met with members of the West Point department earlier this month, thanked the Army for heeding his call.

For years, the department has faced massive budget cuts, including a 92 percent decline from recent years, hampering operations and its ability to repair and replace outdated emergency response equipment.

The West Point Fire Department, which serves the U.S. Military Academy and its surrounding communities, is uniquely dependent on federal funding through the U.S. Army Installation Management Command for its yearly budget, creating a different funding structure than other nearby local fire professional and volunteer departments.

Last year, West Point requested $1.76 million for fire and emergency services, which was validated by the Army. However, due to a $4.6 million non-pay shortfall across the entire program, West Point only received $90,000, or 5.1 percent, of the amount requested.

The department reallocated more than $31,000 from a different account to help fund its emergency services requirements, but the funding was far below what was needed for the department to serve the West Point community and represented a 92 percent reduction in non-pay budget since 2014.