The Onondaga County Legislature’s Public Safety committee held our April meeting at the new home of the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management in Liverpool.
As Chair of the committee, I felt it was important to begin the meeting with a moment of silence in honor of Lieutenant Michael Hoosock of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and Officer Michael Jensen of the Syracuse Police Department. Both were killed in the line-of-duty on April 14th – less than 48 hours before our meeting.
I said, “To all our law enforcement and first responder community, thank you so much for all that you do for our community. Words cannot express how sad we are for your loss. Our prayers are with you and your families. Our hearts go out to you and we are here for you and when we say that, we mean it.”
Captain Jeremy Young with the Sheriff’s Office attended the meeting and spoke about a proposed agreement with the Town of Otisco for police services. “We will provide law enforcement in the form of New York State laws, local laws, any directive patrols within the town of Otisco. The amount of this contract would be $10,000 reimbursed to the county for any costs associated with the deputy’s work.”
The initial contract would be for 1 year with renewals possible. It would be similar to the ones already in place in Pompey, Van Buren, Salina, and Fabius.
The committee also had an informational presentation and discussion with the Wilderness Search and Rescue Team. Jeff Sargent and Jason Baleno shared details about what their team does, how they train, and how county funding would be able to help with what they do and the equipment needed to do so.
The Wilderness SAR Team describes itself as a non-profit organization made up of volunteers, from in and around Onondaga County, who receive intense training to provide them with the skills necessary to assist in managing and working in an organized search and rescue operation. They assist conservation and law enforcement agencies in searching for lost or missing persons in the forest and wilderness areas of New York State.
Following the presentation, I joined my fellow Legislators for a tour of the new building. Department of Emergency Management Commissioner Daniel Wears showed off various areas of the facility, including the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). It’s here that officials from various agencies – including hospitals, fire/ems, National Grid, transportation agencies, etc. – can all gather together to handle any type of emergency that happens in Onondaga County.
It’s a great new center. Now all of our assets and all of our offices and all of our operations are under one roof. Hopefully the EOC doesn’t have to be used very often, but it’s here to help and protect all of the people in Onondaga County and we look forward to its success in the future.
Also in April, I stopped by the four fire departments in our 10th District during RecruitNY, a weekend during which departments statewide open their doors to help people learn more about volunteering with fire departments and the many ways they can do so. I visited stations in Kirkville, Minoa, Manlius and in Fayetteville, where I have been a volunteer since the age of 14. It’s a very rewarding experience knowing you are helping your neighbors in their time of need. Please consider giving of your time, and thank you to those who already do.
To learn more or to volunteer, simply stop by or contact your local fire department.
