$31.5 million in state budget for volunteer firefighters (WBEN)

Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York State's 2023-2024 budget includes significant funding for volunteer firefighters.

State Senator Sean Ryan and Assemblyman Bill Conrad Friday morning highlighted $31.5 million dollars included in the state budget for volunteer fire departments.

"We want to ensure that the volunteer fire companies have the resources to do what they need to do to protect their communities. The state legislature came together to make sure that the state budget included adequate funding to support these often overworked departments," said Senator Sean Ryan.

Of the total, $25 million was allocated for departments' capital upgrades to equipment and facilities. $6.5 million has been alloted for firefighter training stipends.

“As Chair of the Assembly Subcommittee on Volunteer Emergency Services, I’ve had the privilege of speaking regularly with our volunteer firefighters, both here locally and across the state," said Assemblyman Bill Conrad. "They have made me aware of the personnel shortages their departments are experiencing. It is a major time commitment, demanding great sacrifice and at grave personal risk, to serve one’s community in this capacity. New York State owes it to the men and women who answer the call, to ease the financial losses they face from missed work, and to ensure they have the equipment and buildings they need to fulfill their duties as best they can."

Both the senator and the assemblymember pointed to data reported by the Firefighters Association of New York, indicating the number of volunteers has continued to dwindle as years go by. In 1998, 110,000 volunteer firefighters were active in New York State. In 2021, it's now 75,000. Calls have increased by 29%.

The firefighter training stipends are given out in either $750, $1,000 or $1,250 increments after completion of training. The amount given out is dependent the status of the volunteer, whether that's firefighter 1, firefighter 2, or officer. This will allow firefighters to be compensated for spending time off work attending classes.

"This bill's very, very important to the volunteer fire service," said Sheridan Park Fire Chief Scott Plecha. "Membership has declined, in the last five years especially, and we need to bring the numbers back up. It's very important that we keep the volunteer service in the communities. It's very vital in the communities."