North Country Firefighters, Legislators Discuss Key Issues for 2016

COPENHAGEN — With the 2016 state legislative session set to convene on Wednesday, lawmakers took Sunday afternoon to meet with representatives of several local fire departments and discuss key issues for the year ahead.

The meeting, led by the Northern New York Chapter of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, outlined three key areas for improvement — volunteer recruitment, volunteer retention and firefighter health and wellness.

Andrew Marocco, a lobbyist for FASNY in Albany, pinpointed eight bills that are of high priority to the statewide organization, which is comprised of more than 90,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency service workers.

Five of those bills dealt with health and safety, including one that would ensure certain kinds of cancer are medically covered under state Volunteer Firefighter/Ambulance Worker Law.

First introduced in 2011, the bill died in the Senate and Assembly Local Government Committees in 2014.

“FASNY is trying to be more responsive to the needs of individual firefighters, and health and wellness is right at the top of the agenda,” Mr. Marocco said. “We have tried to continually beat the drum to get benefits increased.”

On Sunday, Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River, and state Sen. Joseph R. Griffo, R-Rome, all expressed the need for the bill to be reopened and passed in 2016.

“We all agree that you all do something that is so important to our communities,” Mr. Griffo said. “These efforts are crucial to protect you from what you have to face when you are fighting a fire.”

Related bills would ensure that benefits to injured volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers are issued within 90 days and that such benefits are tied to the cost of living.

Other measures proposed by FASNY would help with the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

Specifically, the organization plans to lobby to increase the state income tax credit awarded to firefighters and ambulance workers. Currently $100, the tax credit would be increased to as much as $400 under FASNY’s proposal.

“It’s hard to get people to put in the amount of time — it is a big commitment,” Mr. Mar­occo said. “We want to be able to give back to volunteer firefighters, and $200 or $300 is not a lot to ask for.”

Local legislators present on Sunday also took note of this request.

“Recruiting is important to us to keep our volunteer fire departments running,” Mr. Blankenbush said. “We need those young members.”

Also present on Sunday was a representative of state Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton.

For more information about FASNY’s 2016 Legislative Outreach Program, visit http://wdt.me/fasny-legislation.