BRIGHTON, N.Y. — New York State is expanding its volunteer firefighter training stipend program, amid a 40-year low in volunteering for the state’s fire departments.
So, how does the program aim to support volunteers? News10NBC’s Garrett Chan spoke with the volunteer recruitment coordinator at the Brighton Fire Department and other districts. They said this is a step in the right direction, but more work needs to be done.
The state’s volunteer firefighter training stipend program now covers five courses. A key aspect is making sure volunteers understand the time and commitment.
“I think that the toolbox effect is a great thought process, but they also have to be the right tools,” said David Metzger, Brighton FD’s volunteer recruitment coordinator. “Being a volunteer firefighter and why each person does it is incredibly individualistic. Every individual does it for a different reason, and those are the reasons we need to really try to capitalize on to get more people to do it.”
The Brighton Fire Department is a combination department, which means it has both career firefighters and volunteers. The department has about 80 volunteers. Metzger said it’s been hard to retain them.
“The churn of people coming in and leaving that is incredibly hard on us,” he said. “So what we try to do is we try to have them have an incredibly clear understanding of the expectation before they fill out the application. We have a schedule time program in Brighton that we offer for people that can’t just run out when a pager goes off, but they’re giving us time so we can trade that.”
Metzger said this year, the department received more than 2,600 calls. Not all of those are for fires — they’re also medical calls or a fuel leak. Metzger said volunteers also need to train for those types of emergencies.
The Henrietta Fire District said it’s grateful for the state’s commitment to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. Another fire department said it’s too early to tell if this expansion will help in the long run.
New York State has around 80,000 volunteer firefighters. That number is down 40 percent over the past 20 years, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. About 90% of fire protection across the state comes from volunteers.
The bill in Albany is seeking to help local governments create stipend programs for their volunteer firefighters, hoping to address the shortage.
How to volunteer
To learn more about volunteering, contact your local fire department. The Brighton Fire Department is hosting an information session on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at Station One on East Avenue. You can also learn how to volunteer in Brighton here.
More about the courses
The state will offset the cost of these five training courses for volunteer firefighters:
Firefighter Survival: $250 – This course teaches firefighters how to rescue themselves if they become trapped or compromised during a fire. Firefighter Assist and Search Team, and Rapid Intervention Crew: $350 – These courses are designed to train firefighters in the critical skills needed to rescue fellow firefighters who are trapped or in distress during an incident. Fire and Emergency Services Instructor 1, Fire Officer II, and Firefighter 2: $500 – These courses are advanced leadership and instructor development programs. They aim to enhance the leadership capabilities of fire department members and improve their effectiveness in incident command roles, ultimately contributing to the safety of firefighters.SEE MORE OF OUR COVERAGE:
Rush Fire Department among agencies facing volunteer shortages as state considers stipend payments (April 17) New York launches annual recruitment campaign as volunteer firefighter numbers drop (April 15) Volunteer firefighter shortage leads to proposed stipend program in New York State (April 8) Rising recruitment challenges hit Spencerport Fire District as volunteer rates plummet (March 4) NY State fire officials set to speak as fire department volunteering hits a 40-year low (March 4)Brighton FD says training stipends are ‘step in the right direction’ amid volunteer firefighter shortage WHEC.com.
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