New Report: Value of Volunteer Firefighters in New York

New Yorkers save more than $3 billion each year due to the services provided by the State’s volunteer fire services, according to a new financial impact study released by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

New York has nearly 100,000 volunteer firefighters. See the list of fire companies in Westchester County here.

The report, “Tax Savings and Economic Value of Volunteer Firefighters in New York State” was prepared by ERS Group, and is the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, FASNY officials said.

In addition to the fiscal impact that volunteers have on the state’s taxpayers, the report also quantifies the addition of Federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant funding in recruiting more volunteer firefighters and the resulting effect of lowering response times across the state.

Among the study’s findings:

• New York State’s nearly 100,000 volunteer firefighters save taxpayers $3.87 billion annually in salary and benefits, and potential debt service
• Property taxes across the state would rise on average 26.5 percent to cover the added costs (taxes would rise between 3.3 percent and 123 percent depending on the county), which would include hiring firefighters and acquiring equipment and buildings.

The report also found that fire response times across the state are getting better due to the recent addition of more than 20,000 volunteer firefighters through the SAFER grant.

The full report can be found at www.fasny.com/economicstudy