Saranac Lake, left, and Lake Placid firefighters use their aerial ladder trucks, pikes and hoses to attack a fire above the No. 1 Chinese Restaurant in Saranac Lake in February 2014. (Enterprise photo — Peter Crowley)

SARANAC LAKE — A local fire department and a local village will receive state grants either for facilities or equipment relating to fire protection services as part of a $25 million package announced Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

This funding through the Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program is being provided to 88 entities across the state through the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

The village of Saranac Lake will receive $200,532 for its joint emergency services building project — which would combine the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department with the police and ambulance services under one roof — and the Paul Smiths-Gabriels Volunteer Fire Department will receive $217,360 for equipment.

“Volunteer firefighters exemplify the best of public servants, and an investment in them is an investment in the safety of the communities they serve,” Hochul said in a statement. “These grants will give volunteer firefighters the resources they need to continue protecting New Yorkers; support befitting of their professionalism and the invaluable weight of their efforts.”

The Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program supports volunteer firefighter safety and health and wellness by providing adequate and up-to-date equipment to include personal protective equipment, decontamination equipment and supplies and effective exhaust removal systems.

Additionally, the V-FIRE Grant Program will support the consolidation of fire service resources through regionalization efforts to expand above and beyond jurisdictional boundaries to further enhance local, county and statewide response efforts.

Allowable costs include construction of new, or renovation of existing fire stations, classrooms, meeting spaces or training centers as well as the installation of exhaust and decontamination systems, or the purchase of equipment such as firefighter PPE, PPE washers and dryers and firefighter rehabilitation equipment.

“Our volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line every time they suit up to help others in need,” New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said in a press release. “Through the V-FIRE Grant Program, we are working to ensure they have the resources they need to do their work safely and effectively. We thank our volunteers for their service and are grateful for the work they do to keep their communities safe.”

Applications from volunteer fire departments were evaluated and scored competitively by a team of civil servants at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services using a multi-tiered listing of criteria.

The scoring process not only evaluated the timeliness and completeness of applications, but also a number of other factors including the department’s annual operating budget. Those with smaller annual operating budgets were given priority.

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A former version of this story incorrectly said the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department got the grant. The village got the grant. The SLVFD is separately running a letter donations campaign raising money to replace its 20-year-old utility truck. The Enterprise regrets the error.