Welcome to The Volunteer Firefighter™, the official magazine of FASNY.
FASNY’s publication strives to bring topical, educational and entertaining information to the volunteer emergency service decision-makers and volunteers throughout New York State. It offers feature articles and columns directly relating to the emergency services, as well as editorial content, training and education opportunities, legislation, fire prevention and life safety articles, and real-life experiences. Read the most recent news and insights below.
By Steve Fortunato How did you learn the alphabet? Most of us learned the alphabet through the power of sound. We hear the alphabet song, retain the sounds, and repeat over and over and over again until we have all 26 letters memorized. I’m confident that after reading the last…
Read moreBy John Bassett and Shawn Brimhall, Co-Chairs of the Statewide TIM Steering Committee Responding to crashes and vehicle fires on highways has become ever more dangerous. Every year, hundreds of first responders across the country are killed or seriously injured on highways while simply trying to perform their sworn duties.…
Read moreBy Angela Outhouse, RN, EMT, FASNY Health and Wellness Committee It is becoming widely known that firefighters have an increased risk of developing certain cancers. Firefighters are exposed to toxins in smoke from the combustion of a variety of materials and chemicals. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health…
Read moreBy Tom Bock, Westchester County Volunteer Firemen's Association Director A lot gets written and discussed about recruitment and retention in the volunteer fire service. And yet, with everything that has been proffered, we continually hear that increasing the fire company or fire department’s ranks seems to be more elusive than…
Read moreBy David Bullard, Georgia State Firefighters Association President Many organizations have adopted core values. Unfortunately, they tend to end up on posters, signs or other wall decorations. While the words have meaning, they rarely get used in a tangible context. Also, most career and some volunteer departments utilize some form…
Read moreBy David C. Denniston, ESIP Have you ever been at a wake or calling hours, or at an older person’s birthday party where there was a screen of pictures flashing in the background? How many times have you watched one of those picture reels and thought “I didn’t know that…
Read moreBy Shane M. Liebler, Senior Editor In a challenging year for both recruitment and public events, more than 250 departments chose to host either virtual or traditional open houses for the 11th annual RecruitNY Weekend. After last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, departments across the State bounced…
Read moreBy Connie Kent Carhart, CPA The IRS charitable classification of a 501c4 is a common classification for many fire service benevolent associations and even some of our incorporated fire companies. If your organization is a 501c4, has it filed the mandatory Form 8976 – Notice of Intent to Operate as…
Read moreBy Kevin Geidel, Onondaga Community College The fire protection industry has been tracking structure fire statistics for over four decades. Fire remains a serious problem in our country. But, the annual number of building fires has been holding steady after a significant decline in the 1980s to early 2000s. This…
Read moreBy Shane M. Liebler, Senior Editor The pandemic has added some hurdles in the already-difficult area of recruitment. But, even as we battle COVID challenges, there are ways departments can focus efforts to get through to key groups. Departments are discovering a whole new population to tap into: those working…
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