Robert Harding
The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.
(TNS)
Mar. 13—New York will begin paying volunteer firefighters who complete training sessions through a new $10 million program.
The program, which was created in the 2023-24 state budget and administered by the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control, will provide stipends to reimburse volunteer firefighters for the costs associated with mandated training courses.
The stipends will vary by course, from $750 for basic exterior firefighting operations to $1,250 for self-contained breathing apparatus and interior firefighting operations. A $1,000 stipend is available for the fire officer 1 training course. The courses must have been completed on or after Aug. 31, 2023, for the firefighters to receive the stipends.
Firefighters will be eligible for the stipends if they are completing the courses for the first time. To receive the payment, they must be in good standing with their department and the fire chief must submit the stipend application.
Volunteer fire departments must meet additional eligibility requirements, including fire reporting for the previous year and the submission of annual fire department demographics.
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the stipend in 2023 to help volunteer fire departments address a firefighter shortage. The number of volunteer firefighters in New York decreased from 110,000 in 1998 to 75,000 in 2021, a 32% reduction.
Despite having fewer firefighters, volunteer fire departments are responding to more calls. The call volume increased by 29% in two decades.
“Volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line to protect those in their communities, and it is time that we recognize and compensate them for the work that they have done,” Hochul said in a statement. “These stipends will allow our firefighters to continue serving their communities while also being able to provide for their families.”
The regulations approved by the state will also allow local fire departments to provide stipends to firefighters. Departments may provide an additional stipend, up to $500, to firefighters who complete any state Office of Fire Prevention and Control training course.
Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said the stipend program will encourage more New Yorkers to sign up to be volunteer firefighters and strengthen volunteer fire departments.
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
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