Firefighters wanted: Weekend event to highlight importance, rewards of volunteering
They are on call day and night, they require extensive training, and they could find themselves in a life-or-death situation at any moment.
And they do it all for free.
Volunteer firefighters are a critical part of the emergency response community, and officials in the fire service agree recruiting and keeping qualified people is a major challenge.
That's why many local volunteer fire departments this weekend are holding open house events as part of RecruitNY, an annual statewide recruitment effort coordinated by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY).
Several Chemung County fire chiefs and other local officials gathered at the Southport Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday to highlight the effort, and the importance and rewards of volunteering.
"Volunteer firefighters save taxpayers billions of dollars annually in reduced property taxes, and preservation of life and property," said longtime Southport Volunteer Fire Department member Michael S. Smith, who is also a publicity representative for FASNY.
"There's a job for everybody. It's not just about fighting fires," Smith said. "You can get a $200 tax credit from New York state if you're a volunteer. Chemung County offers property tax exemptions for firefighters. Volunteering can also lead to employment opportunities."
There are currently about 80,000 volunteer firefighters serving communities across New York state, a drop of about 40,000 from 20 years ago, according to FASNY. At the same time, the association said many volunteer departments are seeing an increase in service calls.
About 90% of fire departments statewide are volunteer-based, FASNY said.
Chemung County legislator Rodney Strange, whose 15th district includes four volunteer fire departments, said local departments have been hit by those declining numbers.
"It's very important we recruit more firefighters. Many departments have single-digit volunteer numbers," said Strange, who added this weekend's events will give people who are interested in volunteering, or in supporting their local fire departments in other ways, a closer look at what volunteer fire service is all about.
County legislature Chairman Mark Margeson said he had several firefighting volunteers in his family and said the community needs to understand the importance of the services they provide.
"I donate to firefighters and I'm always supporting them," Margeson said. "We need to get back to that and invest in it."
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There are several reasons it's harder to recruit and retain firefighters these days, said Smith, who was also Chemung County's emergency management director for several years.
There are many more activities to keep people busy, and fewer manufacturing businesses that run second and third shifts, which often left many people available to volunteer during the day, he said.
Whatever the reasons, it's crucial to recognize the value of volunteer firefighters and reverse that trend, Smith said.
"It's about helping neighbors," he said. "When that siren blows, there are men and women here in our community who are willing to drop what they are doing and respond to help neighbors — all at no cost. They get no pay."
Even departments that aren't holding special RecruitNY events this weekend are happy to welcome visitors, Smith added.
For a list of volunteer fire departments that are holding open houses and other special events this weekend, go to recruitny.org.
"Local volunteer firefighters and emergency workers are the backbone of rural communities, but unfortunately, over the past couple of decades, they have seen their numbers dwindle, with some stations even having to shut down," said Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R-Corning). "This is why the RecruitNY weekend is so important, we need to make people aware of the opportunities available to them in the firehouse."
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Chemung County fire departments holding weekend recruitment drive
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