gamewell45

NY10570, reading your post makes sense and in theory i do agree with minor exceptions. I think if anything, creating a county fire department (thus eliminating all fire districts including those in municipalities) could be more feasible then replacing one on one. In a situation like this, the county could close those fire stations that are not needed; and mix the paid and volunteers and thus create opportunities for volunteers to serve in areas previously that were career only (such as Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mt. Vernon, etc). I agree that volunteers would have to meet established performance and training standards. Under a system like this, those who choose to volunteer can still render their services. Obviously contractual issues with the fire unions representing career personnel would have to be worked out but that can be dealt with at the bargaining table. This might be more palatable to the taxpayers of the county; tho' i think the politicians would have to prove that it is an economically feasible plan. The total thrust of this is to provide the residents with an acceptable, economical level of fire protection at the same time protecting existing career personnel against job loss and allowing volunteers to continue their tradition of volunteering.

I dont' know what county you live in, but aside from the suburban counties, most NY housing is within most peoples salary ranges. Those who are fortunate enough to live in Counties such as Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange and Dutchess counties are already screaming about the high cost of taxes (school, police, town, highway, fire, library, sewer, sanitation, etc). I honestly don't know how much sympathy you'd get from the average taxpayer if you start talking forming a fully career fire department. Saving a few hundred dollars per year on your insurance isn't going to impress too many if they ultimately end up paying more in fire taxes. Remember, the career firefighters have to be paid salary increases; overtime, benefits/retirement, vacation relief, training, fire house conversion, etc. It is not the bargain as one may believe it to be. It would be nice if the taxpayers could afford the luxary of having a fully paid department in every town; but lets be realistic, paying a crew of fire fighters to sit in the fire house to respond to 300-400 fire calls per year is not feasible. Educating the public as to the value of volunteering and changing the way they do business will go along way to help keep taxes down and at the same time attract and retain the volunteer system.

Once the taxpayers realize that a fully paid fire department will cost them the shirts off their backs, more of them might find the time to "volunteer". At best you might see a combination career/volunteer department. Furthermore, there is a concept already in use in, Monroeville, Pa, which is a city i think of around 70,000- 100,000 daytime pop, that is all volunteer. The big difference between them and NY volunteers is that they have volunteers who "bunk in/live in" at 5 fire stations around the city. As far as i know, it is still an all-volunteer fire deparment. It seems to work very well for them; perhaps someone should make some of the westchester departments aware of this system. From what i've been told it appears to work well. Just food for thought.

There are three sides; FDNY's side, the private Ambulance crews side and the truth.