Buchanan, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Dana Levenberg announced today that Buchanan Engine Company No. 1 has been awarded $425,000 from the state’s Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment (V-FIRE) Grant Program, which supports volunteer fire departments by improving facilities, response capabilities and responder safety.

Administered by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the V-FIRE grants are part of a statewide effort to strengthen and stabilize the New York’s volunteer fire service through construction of new fire stations, classrooms, meeting spaces, and training centers, or by upgrading those existing structures, as well as through equipment purchases. 

“Properly supporting our first responders is essential to ensuring the safety of our communities,” said Harckham. “Each municipality and its first responders all have unique needs, and the V-FIRE grant program is meant to allow departments to secure funding for projects and initiatives that will best suit them. The State Legislature partnered with Governor Hochul to include this funding in the State Budget, which will give Buchanan Engine Company No. 1 the financial resources to make critical improvements while lessening the burden on local taxpayers.”

“Our volunteer firefighters and the communities they protect deserve the very best equipment and infrastructure,” said Levenberg. “A grant of $425,000 is fantastic news for Buchanan Engine Company No. 1. I was proud to fund V-FIRE in the budget and to write a letter of support for Buchanan to receive this grant, as it is truly well-deserved. I will continue working with my colleagues, especially Senator Harckham, to fund worthy programs like this, and I thank Governor Hochul and her administration for their continued attention to the capital needs of my district.”

Buchanan Engine Company No. 1 Chief Robert J. Outhouse said, “The V-FIRE grant will be utilized for capital repairs of our firehouse, built in 1951 with a renovation in 1974. This includes replacement of deteriorating floors and masonry, as well as replacement of the roof, HVAC systems, electrical systems, and other fixed assets to ensure our firehouse will continue to serve our village residents for the next decades. As we are a small independent fire company, it would be prohibitively expensive to attempt these repairs on our own, and we lack the power to bond that entities such as fire districts and municipal departments do. If it wasn't for this grant, I don't know how we would've done it.”

The V-FIRE grant for Buchanan Engine Company No.1 was part of $25 million in capital funding for 65 volunteer fire departments and districts across New York State, funding that is being distributed equitably across New York’s Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) regions outside of New York City.

Approximately nine million New Yorkers, nearly half of the state’s population, are served by volunteer firefighters. Yet in recent years, more than 75 percent of these departments have reported a decrease in the number of individuals willing to volunteer and serve. This shortage is further compounded by the increased operational responsibilities beyond fire protection, including vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, hazardous material spills and weather-related rescue operations. 

Proudly serving the Village of Buchanan since 1940, Buchanan Engine Company No. 1 is a fully volunteer, independent fire company with a service area of 1.5 square miles within the village’s boundaries. The fire department’s 40 active members, who operate four front-line apparatus and three command vehicles, answered 128 emergency calls last year and 89 so far in 2026.