Open houses begin today
Statewide firefighter recruitment effort starts Friday
HALFMOON, N.Y. >> The Firemen’s Association of New York kicked off its annual recruitment effort Thursday saying there is still a need for volunteers to fill a variety of jobs at local fire houses.
This is the seventh consecutive year FASNY has promoted its Recruit NY campaign across the state. Many volunteer fire departments will be taking part by opening their doors and holding open houses on April 28 and 29.
At a press conference Thursday at the West Crescent Fire Department, 1440 Crescent Road, Halfmoon, FASNY secretary John D’Alessandro recommended anyone interested in seeing what goes on at their local fire house to check the FASNY website, see which departments are participating and drop by.
Standing in front of several of the fire department’s trucks, D’Alessandro said the equipment and the technology found in today’s fire departments is great to have but the heart of the service they provide is the dedicated, trained, men and women who volunteer to serve their communities.
“The message we’re saying today is we need help from the community,” he said. “Go spend a few minutes this weekend. You may find something you’ll be doing the rest of your life.”
D’Alessandro noted that for many people fire departments bring to mind volunteers manning the end of water hoses in dangerous situations. But today’s fire departments are like businesses, he said. There are many jobs that need to be filled besides being at the end of a hose.
The press conference drew a wide collection of firefighting personnel, FASNY administrators and local elected officials. All had the same message: there are many jobs to be had with volunteer fire departments and this weekend would be a good one to take a peek inside and speak to someone.
Sen. Kathleen Marchione, R-Halfmoon, represents and lives in the town. She secured a $250,000 grant this year for the Recruit NY program and its retention effort. In her remarks she said if it were not for firefighting volunteers New York taxpayers would have to ante up $3.8 billion for paid staff and estimated an increase in property taxes of 26.5 percent.
“We all know that firefighters are the first line in an emergency. The value they bring is immeasurable,” she said. “We really can’t overstate how crucial firefighters are, how many lives they save and how many billions of dollars they save as well.”
Another elected official taking part in the announcement was Sen. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville. He noted that in addition to April 28 kicking off the recruitment volunteer effort, the day is also Blue Friday, where law enforcement personnel who lost their lives are remembered and their families are recognized.
“We go to bed each night and we sleep pretty well because we know these people are here,” he said. “We know if there’s a fire, an accident or in some cases a medical emergency, our firefighters are going to be there for us. It’s important for us to support them in every way possible. This is neighbor helping neighbor so if you’ve ever thought of how you can help, this is a weekend where you can go over and find out.”
FASNY 2nd vice president John Farrell called Recruit NY a signature program and noted that more volunteer firefighters will be needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
“This weekend people will have a chance to hear of rewards and responsibilities,” he said. “Volunteering is rewarding and we need your help. Come join us.”
D’Alessandro said FASNY began the program in 2011 when it noticed that the number of volunteer firefighters in the state had decreased substantially from the 120,000 of the early 1990s. He said there are now about 110,000 volunteers across the state but the number and types of calls is increasing.
“We’ve started to stop the hemorrhaging,” he said. “Now we must climb the hill.”
Recruit NY is a joint undertaking by FASNY, the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC), Association of Fire Districts of New York State, Volunteer Fire Police Association of the State of New York and County Fire Coordinators Association of the State of New York.
Area residents looking to find if your fire department is participating in Recruit NY, visit http://www.recruitny.org/participation-area/ or for more information, contact your local fire department via a non-emergency phone number or its website or visit www.recruitny.org.