FASNY Meets With Firefighters About Year’s Agenda

Volunteer fire departments across Northern New York need all the help they can get.

The Fireman’s Association of the State of New York was in Copenhagen Sunday to show Northern New York firefighters which laws it wants to push for in this year’s legislative session.

FASNY outlined eight points it will focus on. One main point, recruiting new members with a $200-$300 state tax credit for volunteer first responders.

“So we can get some recruitment and retention for them, helping them to have a desire to become a volunteer,”  Thomas Arsenault, Legislative Committee Member with FASNY and Legislative Committee Chairman of NNY Volunteer Fireman’s Association said.

“It’s also important that we help them recruit people,” Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush said. “The recruiting is important to us to keep our volunteer fire departments going. We need younger members.”

Another major point is preventing firefighters from getting cancer. FASNY said it’ll try to enhance fire safety standards for upholstered furniture. Some chemicals on furniture are supposed to prevent it from catching fire. But during a house fire, fumes from those chemicals are a carcinogen if a firefighter breathes them in.

“They are falling victim of illnesses that we know are the result of their exposure to chemicals while they’re fighting on our behalf,” Assemblywoman Addie Russell said.

Arsenault said rural fire departments need to work together for legislation like when they fight fires.

It’s what we depend on, where in the city, they may have 6 or 7 stations that can respond immediately,” Arsenault said. “We have to ask for that help.”

FASNY said it hopes to have all of these issues addressed in this year’s legislative session.