Volunteer Firefighters

There are nearly 100,000 volunteer firefighters in New York State. According to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, those volunteers provide service hours that save the citizens of the Empire State over $3.8 billion per year. It's difficult to quantify what those volunteers really saved those that they have served. Then there are the volunteer Ambulance & EMS workers, jobs so stressful their numbers are tumbling each year. In December, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski and state Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick that may be a way of keeping those volunteers.

All across New York state volunteer fire departments will be open this weekend in efforts to recruit new members.  Much of the state relies on volunteers to staff their fire houses. Do you have what it takes?

Have you ever been driving and a car with a flashing blue light comes up behind you?  Not a police car, but a single flashing blue light?  I have.  Now, I myself know that that indicates a volunteer fire fighter so I always pull over to let them go by me...