By Joe Angelino
Sun Contributor
The vast majority of fire departments in New York and across the country are volunteer organizations. Being a volunteer firefighter is tough, demanding and a rewarding endeavor for anyone who wants to give back to their community. In the Norwich area we are fortunate to have a combination fire department staffed by paid career firefighters backed up by volunteer fire companies. This allows for the best fire service that paid and volunteers can offer; fast attack and knock down by the career members and the peace of mind that more volunteer help is on the way, at little cost.
Brave women and men train hard to overcome the natural fear of running into a burning building while others are running away. It is not uncommon to have paid and volunteer firefighters, side-by-side entering a smoke-filled building or house. Even with protective gear, masks and oxygen supplies the smoke and hot gasses are choking and sickening. Because of the proliferation of insulation materials, plastic products and other chemicals, even a small fire gives off deadly carcinogens. Both paid and volunteer firefighters face the same dangers because fire doesn’t care whose lungs get burned or poisoned with cancer.
Even with the similar duties and dangers as career firefighters, the volunteer firefighters of New York State have a curious disadvantage; the volunteers have a gap in health insurance coverage for cancers caused by firefighting. This shouldn’t be a luxury item offered only to paid employees. This important issue was taken up by the New York State Senate and Assembly with legislation to require cancer insurance coverage for certain volunteer firefighters. In the Senate the vote was unanimous, in the 150 member Assembly there was only one “no” vote to amend New York’s General Municipal Law.
Last week, on October 11th, right in the middle of Fire Prevention Week, the newly passed bill was sent to Governor Cuomo for his signature. In past years Governor Cuomo has vetoed this bill citing as his reason “the expense to taxpayers”, which makes little sense. This is particularly true when calculating the savings volunteer firefighters offer to their communities. If all the volunteer firefighters in New York were on the payroll, the taxpayers would incur an additional $3 Billion in taxes per year according to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.
