HENRIETTA, N.Y. — New York State kicked off its annual volunteer firefighter recruitment campaign Wednesday as state and local fire officials work to address a statewide shortage.
News10NBC’s Garrett Chan reported from the Henrietta Fire District, where officials highlighted the severity of the volunteer shortage. There are currently about 80,000 volunteer firefighters statewide. However, the state lost about 40,000 volunteers within the past 20 years, FASNY Director Andrew Pilecki said.
The campaign has aimed to combat that decline since 2011. A 2024 FASNY survey found about 49% of New Yorkers showed a strong interest in volunteering.
“I use the analogy the more hands you have, the lighter the work,” Pilecki said. “And that proves both at the fire station or on the fire ground.”
The state implemented incentives to attract volunteer firefighters, ranging from a $200 tax credit, a 10% property tax reduction and covered training costs. Despite these perks, officials warn of the job’s physical and mental costs.
“Students coming out of Firefighter One, it’s much closer to 140 hours just to be able to get in the door and be able to start treating those people,” Henrietta Fire Chief Mark Cholach said.
Cholach said the Henrietta Fire Company has transitioned to a combination department, having both volunteers and career staff on standby.
“Right now we’re running about 44% of the time,” Cholach said. “We are running multiple incidents at once and there’s only so much staffing that an agency can add before you start requesting mutual aid.”
Charlie Remelt is the captain at the Henrietta Fire District. He said so far, the district has been holding its own with volunteers, but it’s always looking for more.
“It feels really good to know that you’re helping people along with everyone else that comes in and out of the town on a daily basis,” Remelt said.
The Henrietta Fire District is one of many volunteer fire departments holding recruitment events and open houses this weekend. For a list of fire departments participating, visit here.
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