October 28, 2009

 

WAVERLY --- Local volunteer firefighters are battling a different fight.
     Wednesday night, they got a chance to speak up.
     A lot of fire departments in the Southern Tier are volunteer stations.
     But as the requirements become more and more demanding, departments are seeing fewer volunteers.
     At Wednesday’s forum in Waverly, local lawmakers and volunteer firefighters came together to discuss the issue.
     The main concern raised by local fire officials is the decrease in volunteerism.
     They say it's all because the state has placed such heavy regulations on becoming a volunteer firefighter, people just don't have the time these days.
     “A lot of our folks have had to seek jobs out of our community, so that takes away from volunteerism,” said Jason Halm, Chief of the Webbs Mills Fire Department. “They are mostly working two or three jobs to support the household.”
     The tough economy is taking its toll on volunteer fire departments.
     Meanwhile, the state's requirements and reciprocity laws aren't helping.
     So some state lawmakers are on a mission to ease those administrative burdens.
     The volunteer force is in danger, and Assemblyman Thomas O’Mara says to lose that fire service would be devastating to local communities.
     “I think that would be catastrophic in our state to allow that to get close to happening,” he said. “There is no way we could afford to staff these rural areas in New York.”
     Fire officials say the state requires nearly six months of training before a person can be sent out to fight a fire.
     Plus, emergency response certifications that are reciprocal in every other state, are not here in New York.
     “I don't know that mandated training and courses that are this lengthy serve any great purpose other than to discourage people,” said Michael Smith, Director of the Chemung County Office of Emergency and Fire Management
     But before any legislation passes to reduce these regulatory burdens, local departments need to focus their attention on recruitment and retention.
     “You have to be more creative nowadays to attract the folks because there are lots of other opportunities and if you don't, you’re out of luck,” Halm said.
     Lawmakers say they're putting together a number of bills that would make it easier to become a volunteer firefighter, without sacrificing the quality of training.