ALBANY - October is National Fire Safety Month, commemorating the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, so what better time to talk about firefighters and the great service they provide, especially the volunteers in rural communities that don’t have a paid career force. I can think of no greater calling than to volunteer to help save lives at any hour of the day or night.

Our firefighters do so much more than fight fires. Other responses include: car crashes, storm damage, rescuing injured people, lost hunters and lost children. If someone calls 9-1-1, and the dispatcher is unsure who to send, it is likely the fire department is going to get called upon to respond.

Unfortunately, our state is having a serious problem with both recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. According to the National Fire Protection Association, New York has seen a decrease of over 30% in volunteer firefighters over the last 30 years. This poses a real public safety risk to citizens, as current departments are stretched thin, resulting in longer response times in situations where every second counts.

Despite this ominous trend, the state has done very little to address this problem, and in some cases, it has actively stopped good ideas that would correct the issues facing our fire departments. For example, I introduced a bill (A.00952) that would provide a state income tax credit of up to $2,500 for volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance corps members. This legislation would help them save more money as a thank you from a grateful state. This is Albany, however, and the Majority voted this bill down in committee simply because I am a member of the Minority party. This isn’t an isolated incident either, as many of my Assembly Minority colleagues, mostly from upstate, have introduced bills to help solve the retention issue and recruit new firefighters, all of them stifled by one-party-ruled Albany.

We must do better as a state to support our volunteer firefighters. As I have said before, I fear the last volunteer firefighter has already been born. I pray this is not the case, but it may as well be true if we do not become serious about addressing this issue.

That’s why it is so important to remind people of the opportunity to become a volunteer firefighter and drive-up recruitments. As a firefighter myself, I can promise there is nothing more fulfilling than serving your community. Please consider stopping in at your local firehouse and see if being a firefighter is the right fit for you. Every spring, there is a RecruitNY weekend when firehouses open their doors to potential recruits, so if you are interested, be on the lookout for more information. I will send out periodic reminders as the date approaches.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to my office.

Assemblyman Angelino represents the 121st  Assembly District, which includes parts of Broome County, Delaware County, Madison County, Chenango County and Otsego County. Follow Assemblyman Angelino on Facebook.