KENMORE, N.Y. (WKBW) — New volunteer firefighters in New York are now eligible to receive stipends for completed introductory training courses after September 2023, in an attempt to combat the declining numbers of people signing up.
Village of Kenmore Fire Chief John Lauck is leading just one of the many local fire departments asking for volunteers.
“If we could get to our maximum number of members, that would be great,” Lauck said. “People are busier now than they were 20-30 years ago, and it’s tough to devote the time to it.”
Both Lauck and Lt. David Morales with the Getzville Fire Company admit that recruiting can be tough.
“Volunteer firefighters give up one of their most valuable resources and that’s time,” Morales said.
In order to try and help with the years of recruitment struggles, Governor Kathy Hochul launched a program that will pay new volunteers to be trained as firefighters.
There are three courses that volunteers can receive stipends for completing.
| Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations (79 Hours) | $750.00 |
| Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus / Interior Firefighting Operations (49 hours) | $1,250.00 |
| Fire Officer 1 (63 hours) | $1,000 |
“They will fill out forms with New York State, send them in, their chief signs, everybody is set and then they receive their stipend,” Erie County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Chris Couell said. “It’s not going to make anybody rich, just something that recognized the amount of time they put into that training.”
President of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York Edward Tase shared how excited he is for this change, because setting aside time for a mandatory class, while still working another job, can be tough.
"It’s a huge win, a huge huge win,” Tase said. “The training is a big hurdle, it’s tough and a lot of training, but it’s much-needed training.”
Once somebody is certified, that mandatory commitment goes away and Morales says your schedule and time to volunteer is up to you.
“The beauty of being a volunteer firefighter is that you give up your time when you have it.”
He is hoping this change will open the door to new volunteers as soon as possible.
