New NYS Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account

The New York State Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account

The New York State Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account was established under section 97-pp of the State Finance Law to make loans available to cities, villages, fire districts, counties, towns and not-for-profit fire or ambulance corporations at an annual fixed interest rate of 2.5 percent. Principal and interest payments made by loan recipients are deposited in the Revolving Loan Account to fund future loans to new applicants.

Loan applications may be submitted in the following categories for funding up to the amount indicated:

  1. Firefighting apparatus: $225,000 or 75 % of cost, whichever is less.
  2. Ambulances or rescue vehicles: $150,000 or 75 % of cost, whichever is less.
  3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and/or communications equipment: Not to exceed $100,000 for either category, individually or combined.
  4. Repair of firefighting apparatus, ambulances, or rescue vehicles: $75,000 or 100 % of cost, whichever is less.
  5. Accessory equipment: Not to exceed $75,000.
  6. Renovation, rehabilitation, or repair of facilities that house firefighting equipment, ambulances, rescue vehicles, and related equipment: $150,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less.
  7. Construction costs of facilities that house firefighting equipment, ambulances, rescue vehicles, and related equipment: $300,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less (may not be used for designs, planning, applications, or other costs not directly related to land purchase or facility construction).
  8. Construction costs associated with the establishment of facilities for the purpose of live fire training: $150,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less.

 

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) must give  preference to applications that demonstrate the greatest need and to those that will be applied toward attaining compliance with federal and state laws. Loan approvals must be equally distributed among all sectors of the emergency services community and all geographic areas of the state. At least 50 percent of loans must be awarded to applicants whose fire protection or ambulance service members are exclusively volunteers and whose fire department or ambulance service budget for the previous year is no more than $100,000. Loan requests to pay off existing loans, financing charges, or lease agreements will not be considered. This is a procurement program and is not to be used for   reimbursement of costs already incurred. Applicants may only apply in one category, and no applicant shall receive a loan more than once in any five-year period.

Additional information is available here:
http://www.dhses.ny.gov/ofpc/services/loan/index.cfm