Volunteer First Responders Praise New Excused Leave Law

STATEWIDE — Volunteer first responders who help during times of crisis in New York state will no longer have to be afraid of losing their day jobs.

An excused leave bill, sponsored by Senator Mark Grisanti, was signed into law by Governor Cuomo this week.

Under the new law, volunteer firefighters and EMS responders cannot lose their paying jobs if they are late or miss work while responding to a declared emergency, like hurricanes, floods or wildfires.

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York says more than a third of the state’s 18-hundred volunteer fire departments have been deployed to other parts of the state for emergencies.