Firemen’s Association of the State of New York leaders pow-wow over safety issues, legislation

Canandaigua, N.Y.

HOPEWELL — An Emergency Services Education and Legislative Breakfast set for Saturday morning, Feb. 21, will spotlight current legislation impacting volunteer firefighters, and will make several free services available to residents, including blood pressure readings and Vial of Life forms.

The event will be held at the Ontario County Training Facility at the Ontario County Public Safety Building, 2914 County Road 48 in Hopewell. Participating will be members of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), the Northern Central Fireman’s Association, and other area fire chiefs, firefighters and first responders.

The event is one in a series of educational meetings that will highlight and explain legislation impacting volunteer firefighters and FASNY’s approximately 90,000-strong statewide membership. The two-hour program will run from 9 to 11 a.m., with coffee and donuts served.

As a service to the community, free blood pressure testing will be available from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The tests will be conducted by volunteers from a variety of Emergency Medical Service organizations including the West Webster Fire Department.

Free Vial of Life forms will also be available. The Vial of Life makes an individual’s medical needs quickly and readily available to first responders in an emergency situation. It can include medical records, medications, hospital and physician preferences, allergies, ICE contacts, a living will or DNR order, and anything that would communicate essential information when verbal communication is not possible. Kept in the home, it provides first responders with the medical information they need to best give treatment.

Another important issue on Saturday’s agenda is a discussion of fair-play billing for volunteer emergency medical services. Currently many communities’ EMS will transport resident patients free of charge, as that community funds the ambulance service through their local taxpayers’ dollars. However, in mutual aid situations ambulances may be providing free services for neighboring, non-paying communities. Fair play would allow the EMS services to bill those who don’t pay taxes to the community that is funding the ambulance they used.

Legislation to be discussed includes enhanced fire safety standards for upholstered furniture that don’t require fire retardant chemicals; required seat belt use in fire and rescue vehicles, with some exceptions; and battery-operated smoke detectors that operate only on non-replaceable, non-removable batteries with a lifespan of 10 years or longer. Other legislation would allow fire departments to bill for ambulance services to even the playing field with ambulance providers statewide; and would make it a crime for landlords to illegally circumvent uniform code and potentially create an extremely dangerous situation for firefighters. Additional legislation would allow for expanded heart, lung, and cancer treatment benefits for firefighters.

Participants set to attend include FASNY President Robert McConville and First Vice President Kenneth Pienkowski, state Senator Rich Funke, Assemblyman Phil Palmesano and Assemblyman Bill Nojay.