On the eve of Sept. 11, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced the county had been awarded nearly $600,000 by the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to help improve crisis communications and prevent terrorist attacks.
“I’d like to say we live in a perfect world and this stuff doesn’t happened, but it does unfortunately,” McCoy said. “One of the things I’ve said is we need to be prepared for any type of emergency.”
The funds are being awarded through the 2013 State Homeland Security Grant and will be divided up between the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and the county Health Department, which will receive $334,700 and $262,750, respectively.
The Sheriff’s Office’s share will go toward building upon the county’s Interoperable Communications Systems. The Health Department will use its awarded funds to sustain homeland security personnel and programs and support terrorism prevention activities.
The Health Department grant will allow for the county to continue enhancing public health preparedness, training and recruitment for the county Medical Reserve Corps, and improving emergency medical response capabilities.
The Medical Reserve Corps is a group of volunteers, including many medical professionals, who prepare for various types of major public health emergencies. It consists of more than 500 volunteers, and McCoy said holding training exercises periodically is important to keep members prepared.
Upgrading the communications system will allow more local emergency services providers interact with one another in the event of an emergency. Keeping emergency communications up-to-date is an “extensive” task, McCoy said, but it allows for first responders and law enforcement to coordinate a joint response across the county. He said Colonie operates on a different radio system than the countywide system, for example, so its police and firefighters can’t communicate with surrounding agencies easily.
“It costs so much money to update it,” he said. “This will allow for a continuity of communications efforts.”
The county recently received $6 million to upgrade the first half of its 911 infrastructure, but the remaining work will require another $5 million to complete.
“If something were to have happened here, you would need something where we are all connected,” said Mary Rozak, spokeswoman for the county executive. “I think this is one of the lessons we learned on Sept. 11, that our communication structures can be hit.”
McCoy said his priority since taking office has been to ensure law enforcement and health officials have the necessary resources to keep the public safe.
“It is crucial that we work together to ensure that the county remain up to date and provide state-of-the-art security programs on all levels,” McCoy said in a statement. “We do not know when or if a situation will occur in our area, but with this funding in place, we can be prepared and that is crucial.”
McCoy said receiving grant funding for these initiatives is important with the tax levy cap.
“We are all trying to live within the 2 percent cap and we are trying to do things for less, but we still have obligations to protect the public,” McCoy said. “It helps continue this mission without me having to raise funds to continue it, because that is when things get tougher.”
McCoy said a cell phone can’t be thought of as a stable communication tool during emergencies because cell towers could be disrupted, service could be limited and an influx of calls or texts can overwhelm systems.
“Cell phones are not reliable because it depends on power,” he said.
The Medical Reserve Corps is looking for physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, paramedics, mental health professionals, respiratory therapists, epidemiologists and social workers to volunteer. Residents without any medical training are also encouraged to volunteer for other roles, such as interpreters, management and data entry.