ALBANY — About half of all fire deaths occur from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., when people are typically asleep, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Families are often awakened by fire and smoke rather than the sound of a smoke detector so have little chance of a safe escape,…
Read moreBy Sally Spencer-Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder, Carson J Spencer Foundation Many things related to fire service culture can contribute to behavioral health issues that can lead to suicide – trauma, stress, substance abuse, “tough-guy” culture – but one common factor is what has been coined “psychache.” Psychache is the unimaginable…
Read moreThe following was submitted by Carolyn Stone on behalf of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York: The Firemen's Association of the State of New York held its 7th Annual Youth Day on Friday at the Rensselaer Fire Training Center August 21. Young people from the Baldwinsville Volunteer…
Read moreTwo New York state legislators are pushing for passage of legislation to support 92,000 volunteer firefighters who may be at a greater risk of developing cancer. Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and state Sen. Michael Nozzolio have sponsored a bill that would provide presumptive cancer coverage to the state's volunteer firefighters. The…
Read moreBy William F. Jenaway, Ph.D., CFPS, CFO, CTO Sooner or later, every organization faces this challenge: who to put in charge. Whether it’s your own fire department, your county or state association, or a national organization, people move on and new leaders take over. Assuring you have a pipeline of…
Read moreVolunteer firefighter and member of the Firemen's Association of New York State, John D'Alessandro, discusses the long-term health problems that both full-time and volunteer firefighters are facing. According to D'Alessandro, studies show a direct link between firefighters and cancer, the disease being a common long-term impact of the career. D'Alessandro says…
Read moreALBANY, NY - Many local volunteer fire departments are experiencing the need to recruit and retain more members. To help, in 2011, the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) unveiled an educational initiative called the FASNY Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP). It is statewide community college tuition…
Read moreFASNY kicks off cancer awareness campaign with video showcasing stories of firefighter cancer survivors; pushes for expanded cancer coverage for NY’s 92,000 volunteer FFs (Albany, NY – September 16, 2015) The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) is taking on a new challenge: cancer. More and more…
Read moreThe state Firemen's Association is beginning a campaign to win enhanced insurance coverage for volunteer firefighters who fall ill with duty-related cancer. FASNY, which will launch the effort Wednesday, wants to see passage of a stalled bill that would expand protections under the volunteer firefighters' benefit law for a range…
Read moreBill would expand health care for job-related ailments. The state Firemen's Association is beginning a campaign to win enhanced insurance coverage for volunteer firefighters who fall ill with duty-related cancer. FASNY, which will launch the effort Wednesday, wants to see passage of a stalled bill that would expand protections under…
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