Chester Fire District Awarded $3,500 DEC Grant to Buy Thermal Imaging Cameras

The Chester Fire District announced it has been awarded a $3,500 grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Forest Protection for the purchase of thermal imaging cameras (TICs), according to a Mid‑Hudson News report published Feb. 2 with a MIDDLETOWN dateline.

Mid‑Hudson News identified the Chester Fire District as the announcing organization and named the DEC Division of Forest Protection as the grantor; the report used the parenthetical acronym TICs to clarify the thermal imaging cameras the funds are intended to buy. The $3,500 figure is the only dollar amount provided in the Mid‑Hudson News item.

The material available for this report did not include further details about how the $3,500 will be spent. The number of thermal imaging cameras to be purchased, any model or brand information, and an expected delivery or deployment timeline were not specified in the Mid‑Hudson News excerpt.

No direct statements from Chester Fire District officials or a DEC press release were included in the Mid‑Hudson News text supplied to this report. The absence of on‑record quotes or an award letter in the available material means specifics such as whether $3,500 covers the full cost of the purchase or is part of a larger funding effort remain unconfirmed.

The same Mid‑Hudson News item that noted the Chester Fire District grant also included a separate line saying, “Erika Hackman named finalist for National Rising Star Award.” The Mid‑Hudson News excerpt did not provide any affiliation for Erika Hackman or a connection between Hackman and the Chester Fire District.

This account is grounded in the Mid‑Hudson News report published Feb. 2 with the MIDDLETOWN label and in the Chester Fire District attribution contained in that report. Additional confirmation from the Chester Fire District or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Forest Protection would be needed to specify how many TICs will be bought, the equipment make or model, training or operational plans, and whether $3,500 represents the total grant award for this purchase.