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Senate, Assembly ratify bill allowing out-of-state firefighters to volunteer in New York

Posted 6/22/16

A measure approved by the Senate and Assembly allowing out-of-state firefighters to volunteer as members of local fire departments in New York “will help meet the summer surge in demand for …

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Senate, Assembly ratify bill allowing out-of-state firefighters to volunteer in New York

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A measure approved by the Senate and Assembly allowing out-of-state firefighters to volunteer as members of local fire departments in New York “will help meet the summer surge in demand for services,” says State Sen. Patty Ritchie, R-Heuvelton.

The bill is on its way to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his signature to become law.

Ritchie represents the 48th Senate District, which includes all of the northern edge of St. Lawrence County from Massena to Hammond, and Ogdensburg, Canton and Gouverneur.

A recent study by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) concluded that replacing volunteer fire departments with paid service across the state would cost more than $9 billion, mostly for salaries and equipment.

The FASNY study found that personnel costs for a completely paid fire service would cost St. Lawrence County taxpayers more than $73 million.

The bill (S.6609), which has bipartisan support from every corner of the state, would allow local volunteer fire departments to accept out-of-state members, as long as their training and experience meets the requirements set by state and local practice.

“With the start of summer, many communities, especially in tourism-heavy parts of our area, see a surge in the number of seasonal residents, and our dedicated volunteer fire departments see an accompanying rise in calls for assistance, from fires and accidents and all types of emergencies,” Sen. Ritchie said.

“The increased demands can leave fire companies stretched thin, and this bill will give them the ability to recruit extra help from the ranks of trained volunteers—vacationers, tourists and others, including soldiers who may be posted to Fort Drum and other installations—with experience serving back home in other states, and who want to give back and get involved in protecting and serving their adopted communities.”

By law, volunteer firefighters must live in the community served by the fire company they want to join. Limited exceptions can be made for volunteers who live nearby, or work in the district, but not, generally, for residents of a different state.

Membership would have to be approved by the fire department’s officers, and out-of-state volunteers would not be eligible for length of service awards that are offered by many companies to long-serving volunteers.

There are currently 100,000 volunteer firefighters in New York, 10 percent fewer than just a few years ago. Yet volunteer fire departments remain critically important to protecting communities in emergencies, at considerable savings to taxpayers.

The bill was sponsored in the Assembly by Hudson Valley Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, D-Middletown.