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Senator Pam Helming announced that the six Wayne-Finger Lakes area counties that she represents have been awarded a combined $1,068,785to support emergency response operations. The funding is administered by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services through the Public Safety Answering Points Operations Grant. The grants allow municipalities within the counties to make improvements to their 911 services to keep our communities safe and protect first responders.

"Our police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, and other first responders do an absolutely outstanding job of serving and protecting our communities. They are able to perform their duties so well because of the effective, efficient work of our 911 dispatch operators. This critical funding will allow our counties to continue to upgrade their services and technology and provide the best emergency response possible to their residents. I'm grateful that all of the counties that I represent will benefit from these important grants," Helming said.

The allocation of funding in the Wayne-Finger Lakes region is as follows:

• Cayuga County - $167,647
• Monroe County - $224,980
• Ontario County - $196,826
• Seneca County - $167,874
• Tompkins County - $148,036
• Wayne County - $163,422

Counties provide the majority of 911 answering and dispatching operations and coordinate the services among municipal, county, and state responders. This annual grant allows counties to be reimbursed by the state for eligible public safety call-taking and dispatching expenses. The funds help county operators offset their day-to-day expenses. They can also foster upgrades in call-taking and dispatching technology and investment in new services, such as text messaging, data communication, and improved geo-location for emergency response. Funding is distributed among counties based on statistics that reflect a county's operational scope, demographic factors, and emergency services call metrics.

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