Boston, NY Fire Protection Issues

[Geppetto 31]

Firefighters explain situation to residents

By Barbara O’Brien

Buffalo News

12/14/10

...The town and the three fire companies — North Boston, Patchin and Boston — have yet to sign contracts. Firefighters have asked for a three-year contract, while the supervisor has offered one year.

Previous contracts have allowed the terms to continue for up to two years if there is no agreement. But fire protection is in doubt because the Town Board in August terminated the contract as of Dec. 31. ...

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/southern-erie/article283366.ece

[wraftery 1,275]

Firefighters explain situation to residents

By Barbara O’Brien

Buffalo News

12/14/10

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/southern-erie/article283366.ece

The story is vague, but it looks to me that these are all-volunteer Fire Districts or Fire Protection Districts, and the contract they are referring to is not a Career FF contract.

I believe the contract is between the town and the fire protection providing agency (agencies).

[rayrider 94]

The story is vague, but it looks to me that these are all-volunteer Fire Districts or Fire Protection Districts, and the contract they are referring to is not a Career FF contract.

I believe the contract is between the town and the fire protection providing agency (agencies).

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

[Alpinerunner 61]

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

That is actually pretty common I believe in many places outside CT. However, the 3% increase and 3 year contact is very confusing. It must refer to an increase and agreement for funding the retirement fund. It's not a very well written article.

[JM15 386]

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

Maybe the word retirement should be interchanged with LOSAP. Both are common in NYS in Volunteer agencies.

[Bnechis 3,961]

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

NYS Labor law requires all fire departments to provide either workers comp or GML207a. This is how PESH (NYS OSHA) can give violations to volunteer departments for violating labor law. THe consider vollunter firefighters to be unpaid "employees" based on the workers comp.

[velcroMedic1987 330]

“What started out as a community coming together and truly caring for their neighbors, protecting their town and the people in it, seems to have changed along with the meaning of a volunteer. Volunteering means to provide a selfless act or service with no monetary benefits,” the board’s letter states.

This says it all.

[helicopper 1,050]

In case you were curious (I was)...

Boston is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 7,897 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Boston, Massachusetts.

The Town of Boston is an interior town of the county and one of the county's "Southtowns." Boston is southeast of Buffalo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.8 square miles (92.8 km²), all of it land.

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,897 people, 2,997 households, and 2,244 families residing in the town.

[JM15 386]

For a town that small why do they need 3 fire districts?

[Bnechis 3,961]

For a town that small why do they need 3 fire districts?

For the same reason that Westchester "needs" 58 fire departments.

[jack10562 414]

38 square miles makes it pretty large, however it must be mostly rural with under 8000 people.

Aside from the financial issues it seems to me another instance where call volume and available resources are at loggerheads.

Volunteers can only volunteer so much. They have a life, too.

If giving "perks" is what it takes to get more participation, so be it.

[IzzyEng4 427]

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

It is common more than you think for volunteer agencies. Technically when you area a volunteer and are responding and working at an incident, you are now an "employee" of the department, town, district, ect. This title is given for the purpose in case a volunteer get hurt at an incident and requires medical attention. So in essence "Workers Comp Benefits" from the town / district/ ect. covers the entire spectrum of the first responder. Take for example my town we had an incident about 15 years ago where a member was thrown of an aerial ladder during a ladder pipe operation, was thrown up in the air and fell seventy feet to the ground. Now I am not going to get into the specifics of the old operations, et al, that is for another time. But the fact of the matter was the member who was injured (who is now paralyzed from the waist down) received full compensation from our city as he was operating as a fire department member. Workers Comp Benefits is all about insurance coverage for those hurt in the line of duty.

"Retirement Funds" is another retention tool that was introduced nation wide during the 1990s as a way to have retention of volunteers when their ranks have been depleting. Its basically the same thing as a tax abatement but instead it is saved up and issued out when a person reaches their retirement age. Just like a tax abatement, the fund is determined by years of service, attendance, number of calls responded to, ect. The idea of a retirement fund was to assist retired volunteers when they also retire from their full-time careers to help them out monetarily with taxes.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

They call them Volunteer Fire Districts and they receive Workers Comp Benefits and Retirement Funds. Sounds Kinda strange to me.

Why would Volunteer Fire departments NOT receive workers comp? They are doing a service for the town, if they are injured in the course of their duties and are not able to go to their regular job, isn't it the town's responsibility to pay????

[Geppetto 31]

Board member resigns in fire co. debate

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/erie/Board-member-resigns-in-fire-co-debate

[FiftyOnePride 100]

Correct me if I am wrong, but legally, volunteer firefighters are "employees" of their district/township/whomever is their governing entity. As a result they are entitled to workman's compensation under the insurance their "employer" provides.

The interesting thing is I have seen incentive plans and retirement programs fail in some volunteer agencies, even deter participation. Those who may be borderline to the mark for receiving the funds may once they place the incentive as the goal in their mind decide that it all is not worth it to them. But that depends on what you set your mark as. If we ever do move to a LOSAP or retirement program officially, our current benchmark is 60 points. Which is 20 calls, or a combination of calls, meetings, training, etc.

[IzzyEng4 427]

FiftyOne you are correct in your statement, basically that is what I said in my post above. You are covered by the town / city / borough / village / district's insurance policy thus at the time of service being called or even during training you are an employee.