Area fire departments looking for volunteers

MANCHESTER — Rich Rice has lived in this Ontario County community for three decades, but his longtime appreciation of the Manchester Fire Department was as an outsider.

That changed when he became a volunteer in January 2015.

“I have lived here for 30 years and have seen what they do. I’ve always been thankful for them,” he said. “I’m only in my third year, but there are men and women in this department that have been doing this for 10, 15 and 20 years, or more. I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Rice, who is on the department’s executive board, hopes people will follow his example and go to the fire department Sunday during the seventh annual RecruitNY weekend. It is a major initiative of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY).

“One thing I would like to point out to people is that this isn’t all or nothing. There’s a job for everyone in the fire service,” he said. “It could be pumping out basements to being the fire police at accident scenes or going to nuisance fires. You don’t have to be the person going into the burning building.”

To date, more than 450 fire departments across the state have signed up for the recruitment weekend in an effort to add volunteers. Members of the public are invited to visit their local firehouses, where firefighters will lead tours of their facilities, demonstrate firefighting techniques and allow visitors to try on turnout gear.

These activities, and more, give visitors a taste of what it means to be in the fire service. Volunteers will be on hand to discuss the requirements and rewards of joining, and potential recruits are encouraged to bring their families.

“Joining the volunteer fire service has been the most rewarding experience of my life, and I know I am not alone in saying that,” FASNY President Ken Pienkowski said in a press release. “Hundreds of volunteer fire departments across New York will be participating in RecruitNY, and we invite all New Yorkers to visit their local firehouses. Visitors may be surprised to find their very own neighbors and friends already serving in the fire department and just may be inspired to join them in protecting the community.”

Pienkowski said the volunteer fire service is an integral part of both life and the economy in the state. In 2016, FASNY released an economic impact report (fasny.com/economicstudy) which quantifies the value of the volunteer fire service and its tax savings throughout the state.

The report concluded that the annual cost of a replacement, all-paid fire service would be $3.87 billion. Furthermore, property taxes in the state would rise by an estimated average of 26.5 percent.

These figures do not factor in the costs of acquiring the necessary facilities and equipment needed to accommodate a paid fire service. Pienkowski said the volunteer fire service, and efforts such as RecruitNY, make the state not only safer but more affordable.

Established in 2011, RecruitNY is a joint undertaking by FASNY, the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs, 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.

Rice said in addition to the recruitment weekend, the Manchester Fire Department also is hosting a community event Sunday — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — to celebrate the department’s new fire truck. Village, town, county and state officials have been invited, along with Red Jacket school officials.

“We are very involved with the school district for fire prevention, and this has helped plant the seeds for future volunteer service. What we are beginning to see is we are reaching the younger age group who can become restricted youth members,” he said. “We have been actively recruiting in the last year at the school. We put up our banner and kids can sign a sheet if they are interested in learning more about eventually becoming a firefighter.”

Rice added that Manchester has participated in the recruitment weekend for the past several years.

“We expect to have a great turnout this weekend. We get a lot of interested people who look into the fire service further,” he said. “It has created a lot of community awareness. I think we are going to have a great recruiting year.”

To find out if your local fire department is participating in RecruitNY, see recruitny.org/participation-area. For more information, contact your local fire department via a non-emergency phone number or its website.