STAMP could put added strain on volunteer fire departments

Editor:

I am a Genesee County resident and I am writing to you in order to raise awareness about the STAMP project.

Specifically, how it will affect our local Fire and EMS services. Being rural, we rely on our valued volunteer fire departments. Those departments are staffed with very well trained and respected volunteers who are the cornerstone of our communities.

Those of us who live in the vicinity of the STAMP site find ourselves wondering how this very large addition to our area will affect our volunteer companies and their capabilities to respond to citizens in a safe and timely manner. I also wonder whether they have the correct equipment for a possible large chemical fire.

I have health barriers as do many of my neighbors both on and off the Tonawanda Seneca Nation. I am also concerned about the very large elderly population that resides in this corner of the county.

From what I understand, the way we would estimate how this project will affect our local Fire and EMS services is by having a study done. The study would take all kinds of factors into consideration including population, infrastructure, weather, water availability, etc. But, after attending a Town of Alabama board meeting I learned that the last study was done all the way back in 2012!

This was surprising to me as I had just assumed that one was done for the STAMP project. A facility that is expected to have a footprint of 16 football fields! A lot has changed around this area in the last 13 years. I was even more astonished to find out that none of the recommendations in 2012 were ever implemented. It appears that there was a plan for a “Joint EMS Services Study” in 2024 by the Town of Alabama and the Village of Oakfield. But, so far that study is unfunded and has not been initiated.

The lack of a proper study is very troubling to me because according to GCEDC, Edwards Vacuum is aiming to be open and operational by the end of the year! Furthermore, GCEDC plans to build a 500,000-gallon Fire Suppression Tank in case of fire or explosion on site. Are they just guessing that this will be sufficient? Because local Departments do not have the right equipment for what is very likely to be a large chemical fire.

I am very worried about how the GCEDC is handling this entire project. I am worried about our local volunteers being overburdened and stretched too thin. Especially, as many of them reach retirement age.

And, God forbid, I am most of all worried about a catastrophic incident such as an explosion or fire! The closest residence is only 400 feet away!

Residents of Genesee County must demand that no tenants at STAMP be allowed to begin operations and that all construction be halted until a comprehensive study with updated data is done to assess EMS and Fire services and recommendations are implemented.

The more I read about this project the more it appears that CEO Mark Masse and the GCEDC are more than willing to do interviews and advertise their “development projects” but when it comes to resident safety and concerns there is no word from them. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Adrienne Yocina

Corfu