NYS Emergency Services Revolving Loan Program

Information for Individual Applicants

The New York State Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account was established under 97-pp of the State Finance Law to make loans to cities, villages, fire districts, counties, and towns and not-for-profit fire/ambulance corporations at an annual fixed interest rate of 2.5 percent. Principal and interest payments made by recipients are deposited in the Revolving Loan Account and loaned once again to new applicants. Therefore, funding levels in the account will vary throughout the year depending upon the amount of repayment money, interest accrued, and number of new loans made.

Please do not consider this program your sole source of financing, and use some long-range planning when submitting a request. Sufficient funds are not always available to cover all approved requests at the time of a meeting; and, therefore, some loan requests may be approved pending the availability of funds. All applicants will be notified in writing as to the status of their request, and money will be paid out as cash becomes available.

Who May Apply?

A city, village, fire district, or incorporated not-for-profit fire/ambulance company is eligible to apply for a loan. Where a fire protection district exists, a town or a county may apply subject to the limitations specified in Town Law 184 and County Law 225-a.

The following purposes are covered under the loan program:

1. Firefighting apparatus

   Elevated equipment, pumpers, tankers, ladder trucks, hazardous materials emergency response vehicles, or other such specially equipped motor vehicles used for fire protection, together with the fixtures and appointments necessary to support their functions.
   Amount: $375,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less

2. Ambulances or rescue vehicles

   Motor vehicles equipped and used to support fire and emergency services operations; includes a vehicle specifically for carrying accessory equipment.
   Amount: $225,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less

3. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and/or communications equipment

   Clothing and devices that comply with OSHA standards used to protect personnel who provide emergency services from injury; includes, but is not limited to, helmets, coats, boots, eye shields, gloves, and self-contained respiratory protection devices; voice or original transmission system or telemetry system used to enhance firefighter safety on the grounds of a fire or other emergency.
   Amount: Not to exceed $200,000 for either category, individually or combined

4. Repair of firefighting apparatus, ambulances, or rescue vehicles

   Amount: $200,000 or 100 percent of cost, whichever is less

5. Accessory equipment

   Equipment necessary to support firefighting or emergency rescue activities that is not communication equipment, protective equipment, or motor vehicles.
   Amount: Not to exceed $125,000

6. Renovation, rehabilitation, or repair of facilities that house firefighting equipment, ambulances, rescue vehicles, and related equipment

   Amount: $250,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less

7. Construction costs of facilities that house firefighting equipment, ambulances, rescue vehicles, and related equipment

   Amount: $500,000 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 constructions).

8. Construction costs associated with the establishment of facilities for the purpose of live fire training.

   Amount: $250,000 or 75 percent of cost, whichever is less.

Consideration Factors

1. 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.

2. Loan approvals must be equally distributed among all sectors of the emergency services community and all geographic areas of the state.

3. At least 50 percent of loans must be to applicants whose fire protection or ambulance service members are exclusively volunteers.

Ineligibility

Applications will not be approved if the applicant is in arrears on any prior loan granted under §97-pp, or used state funds to repay all or part of any loan made under §97-pp in the prior ten years.

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.

Restrictions

Applicants may only apply in one category, and no applicant shall receive a loan more than once in any five-year period.