Firefighters in Rensselaer County unveil new ‘lifesaving’ pager system

DEFREESTVILLE – Imagine if your house was on fire, or if your family member suffered a medical emergency, and the people you were depending on for help, couldn’t receive the emergency message. That’s what has been at stake in Rensselaer County.

In the remote, rolling hills of rural Rensselaer County, there’s no guarantee when an emergency occurs, every family will get the response they deserve.

“Even yesterday, we had a pager failure where one of the members wasn’t able to hear the page and our response was delayed,” said Gil Hall, a longtime member of the Hoosick Rescue Squad. “They may ore may not receive the message because pagers are beyond the capability to be repaired. We buy them off Ebay and we can’t fix them.”

Hall says the Hoosick Rescue Squad would have had to spend $10,000 for new pagers, which is hard to come by in his small town.

But the beeper dilemma has been fixed. With a $750,000 check delivered on Wednesday by Senator Kathy Marchione (R – Halfmoon), every fire company and every ambulance agency in Rensselaer County will be able to purchase brand new mobile beepers, more than 1,900 of them.

“In responding to an emergency situation, every second counts,” Senator Marchione said, “It can literally mean the difference between life and death.”

“When you hear the tone, remember let’s give thanks to Marchione,” declared Chief Gary Roberts of the South Schodack Fire Department, and the first vice president of the Rensselaer County Fire Chiefs’ Association. “Senator Marchione has now equipped us, not only for the new county radio system coming on line, but also for future recruitment in the very near future.”

The beeper enhancement completes a $20 Million investment by the county to upgrade and replace their entire emergency communications system.

“For many fire districts, this relates to approximately $20,000 that taxpayers won’t need to fund,” Chief William Maloney, of the Speigletown Fire Department, pointed out. ”

Maloney, along with other fire chiefs, say they’ll be able to better recruit and retain new members. they also say they’ll be able to purchase protective gear for many firefighters who have been working without it.

“In short, it’s a winning situation for everyone involved,” noted David Quinn, chief administrative officer of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY).

With the new pagers, the emergency radio coverage increases from 85% to 96% of Rensselaer County.