QUEENSBURY -- Jeff Baertschi, Chief of the North Queensbury Fire Department, doesn't mince words. If it wasn't for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from Warren County, the North Queensbury Fire Department wouldn't be as well prepared to respond to emergencies on and around Lake George as it is.
The money allowed for the purchase of a new hovercraft that already played an integral part in the rescue of a swimmer who nearly drowned earlier this summer, Baertschi explained. The department has had a hovercraft for years, but the older model had become problematic.The new model can be operated by one firefighter, a distinct advantage over the older model.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors awarded $150,000 from ARPA funding to North Queensbury for new equipment, and the agency is one of 16 Warren County first responder organizations that received nearly $1 million of stimulus funding.
North Queensbury purchased a hovercraft, diver suits, vests and other water rescue equipment, and has ordered a drone with infrared search capabilities and new radios as well. They gave County Administrator John Taflan a look at the equipment this week.
With mutual aid plans among fire departments, particularly with water rescue calls, which are fairly frequent in the summer on Lake George.
"This equipment will help the entire county," explained North Queensbury Fire Police Captain Hal Halliday. "We have first-class equipment and the manpower to use it."
You can find a full list of projects and organizations that received ARPA funding through Warren County here.The funding has been used for an ambulance and numerous other equipment purchases by fire departments and rescue squads around the county.