The Town of Babylon has allocated $388,263.44 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) to three of its local fire departments for the purchase of important equipment to keep the public safe. The ARPA funding will allow Wyandanch Fire Department to obtain a new ladder truck, and funds were also given to West Babylon and North Lindenhurst Fire Departments to acquire LUCAS devices, which assist with the performance of CPR.
“Keeping our residents safe is our top priority, and we cannot overstate the importance of the volunteer fire departments that serve our community,” said Town of Babylon Councilman Terence McSweeney, who chairs the Town of Babylon Public Safety Committee. “My colleagues and I on the Town Board are proud to invest in these departments and make sure that they have all the tools needed to provided fast and effective care in an emergency.”
Securing these important resources allows the fire departments to more efficiently respond to emergencies and ensure the safety of the Town of Babylon and its residents. The new ladder truck substantially increases the number of emergencies that can be handled at a time.
“The opportunity to obtain this equipment means a lot to us,” said Chief of Wyandanch Fire Department Jarvis Brown. “Wyandanch has a bunch of high-rise buildings in the area, and a new ladder truck with the latest safety accessories gives us the ability to operate better and faster than we did before.”
LUCAS devices are also incredibly important. They are life-saving in the face of cardiac arrest.
“Studies have shown that consistent high-quality CPR through all phases of patient transport produces a much higher success rate in recovering from cardiac arrest,” said Chief of North Lindenhurst Fire Department Kenneth M. Stallone Jr. “With the use of the LUCAS devices, we are able to increase the chance of survival significantly. We thank Councilman McSweeney and the Town of Babylon for helping us to best take care of our residents.”
“The number of rescue calls in the West Babylon Fire District increases without fail every year, and many of those calls are cardiac arrests,” said Commissioner of the West Babylon Fire District John Manzi. “The LUCAS device obtained with the ARPA funding will become the District’s third and be placed in the south ambulance. The device will enable the south ambulance to respond to cardiac arrest calls immediately, rather than depending on a response from the first responder car or north ambulance with LUCAS devices.”
The Town of Babylon looks forward to this new equipment saving lives and improving the safety and wellbeing of its communities and residents.
Wyandanch Fire Department receives its ARPA funds from Town of Babylon Direct Support Program Director Viscel Moore, Town of Babylon Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Town of Babylon Councilman Terence McSweeney
West Babylon Fire Department receives its ARPA funds from Town of Babylon Councilman Terence McSweeney
North Lindenhurst Fire Department receives its ARPA funds from Town of Babylon Councilman Terence McSweeney