Long Term Viability of Volunteers on LI Questioned

[FF402 133]

Long Term Viability of Volunteers on Long Island Questioned

Updated: 10-14-2005 04:47:52 PM

RORY J. THOMPSON

Courtesy of the Long Island Press

What if you had a fire, and nobody came?

That's a little farfetched, but it could happen at any time.

"If you quote me [by name], I will deny ever having said it, but there are billions--that's billions with a "B"--of dollars' worth of real estate on Long Island that is protected from fire by a whim."

The speaker is a high-ranking Long Island fire official who understandably doesn't want to be identified. But his assertion is right on the mark: Unless you live in the cities of Long Beach or Garden City, your home and property are protected by volunteer firefighters who don't have to come to your burning home if they don't want to. There's no sanction for failing to show for any particular fire call. No one is taken to task for missing a big house fire--unless you count the inevitable razzing that greets those members who show up at the firehouse after the flames are out and the trucks and gear have been repacked.

Fighting fires is dirty and dangerous work. Volunteer services date back to the days when pay was out of the question and neighbors fought fires side by side for mutual protection of their homes. Despite the popularity and endurance of the volunteer fire service and increased safety technology, it's getting harder for volunteer-only departments to provide the kind of coverage they traditionally have.

Dwindling Numbers

One major problem affecting the fire service is that more and more, younger recruits cannot afford to stay on Long Island.

"It's difficult to keep volunteers. If I had to guess, I'd say the turnover rate is every four to five years," says Eric Schields. He's seen the volunteer/paid force issue from both sides. A volunteer firefighter in Baldwin, Schields is an ex-chief in that town's fire department and a recently retired captain of the (paid) Garden City Fire Department.

Schields has seen it happen again and again: "Kids join up, go through their training, finish college, meet a girl, want to get married, and then can't afford to live in the town," he says, summing up the frustrations of a growing number of fire departments.

Even as the number of fire calls has been dropping steadily in recent years, so, too, has the number of people willing to sign up to be volunteer firefighters and ambulance technicians. The firefighters who are still available are starting to cover neighboring towns as well as their own.

"I've seen the retoning [sounding the alarm a second time] and mutual aid calls growing," says Peter Meade, assistant chief fire marshal for Fire and Rescue Services in Nassau County. That means that if a community can't field enough firefighters for a big fire, a call goes out to neighboring towns. While years ago a mutual aid call used to be a rare event, more and more departments are sounding such alarms, especially during daytime hours when many volunteers are at work.

"A lot of our shortcomings are being covered by mutual aids," Meade adds.

To The Rescue

What's true for the firefighters also holds true for the drivers and medical technicians who handle the bulk of ambulance calls for the local volunteer fire departments.

One Long Island ex-chief, who also requested anonymity, conceded that he sometimes had trouble gathering a crew for midday ambulance calls...as in the case of Kathy.

My wife's friend Kathy was out walking the dog a few months back when she stepped on a broken patch of sidewalk, fell down and dislocated her shoulder. In agonizing pain, she made her way back to the house, where she let the dog loose in the fenced-in yard, sat down and called her dad for help. He lives three towns away.

As luck would have it, my wife Pattie happened to call minutes later, and, upon hearing of Kathy's injury, rushed right over. Being the wife of a fireman, Pattie knew this was serious and called for an ambulance. Then the waiting began.

First, local police showed up and agreed they should wait for the ambulance. Then Kathy's dad arrived. While all this was going on, Pattie heard the chatter over the cop's radio that the ambulance had a driver, but no medical technician. The cop offered to take Kathy in his patrol car, but Pattie knew that would mean an agonizing stretch in the ER waiting room--ambulance admittances are always given priority--and vetoed the idea. After a second retone of the alarms and still no tech, my wife blurted out to the cop, "This is why we need a paid department."

She may be on to something.

High-Priced Coverage

Long Island's population has grown in recent years. Those who were born here tend to stay here and raise families of their own. The quality of life is good; nice beaches abound, there's plenty of shopping and golf, schools are generally well-ranked nationally, and while the cost of living here is high, good-paying jobs in New York City are a train ride away. Yet one area that is losing ground is the volunteer fire service. Those who were the backbone of this efficient, professional group are retiring, dying off or moving away, and they're not being replaced.

"I instituted a policy a while back where FireCom [which provides Nassau County with full-time dispatch for 46 fire departments and 911 backup for the other 25] will alert the Nassau County police ambulance to start heading in if we can't get a crew," the anonymous ex-chief confided. "This way, we know someone is on the way to help," should the volunteers come up short.

It's an effective stopgap measure, and it may be a portent of things to come. The picturesque community of Williamstown, Mass., has been compensating its "volunteer" firefighters for a number of years, on a pay-per-call basis. Their procedures may well serve as a template for fire departments facing a drop-off because their volunteers are busy working day jobs.

"This all got started back a number of years ago. The issue came up when the firemen had no turnout gear. They might've had a coat but nothing else, back in the 1920s or 1930s," says Williamstown Fire Department Chief Craig Pedercini.

"The firefighters asked the town if there was some way to supplement them for their clothing that got ruined during a fire," Pedercini says. "The pay per call started at about 25 cents or 50 cents an hour. It has since escalated over the years."

These days, the members of the call department, as it's known, are paid $10 an hour for each call they respond to.

"The members get paid twice a year," Pedercini says. "First, at the end of June, covering the seven-month period from December through June, and then again around December 1, covering the period from July 1 to the end of November. This way, the guys have a little holiday money in their pockets."

In other words, the money doesn't replace income, but it does add a little extra incentive--think of it as an extra thank you from the community--for taking on a brutal job that involves risk to life and limb.

"It's never been promoted as a draw," Pedercini says. "Prospective members come in after talking with other firemen. But we never push [the financial aspect]; we tell them, 'If you're here for the money, you're in the wrong business.'"

It's Here Already

Some Long Island fire departments are ahead of the curve. According to Nassau County's Chief Meade, many departments have had paid staff for years, most of whom serve as firehousemen, in-house staffers who do maintenance and minor repairs of the firehouse and equipment, and who double up as chauffeurs of the ambulances or first engines to head to a scene. Other departments--Meade cites Baldwin, Jericho and Lawrence-Cedarhurst, among others--have hired paid Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders, mostly for the hard-to-staff daytime hours.

Lawrence-Cedarhurst (L-C) is a good case in point.

"We were the first volunteer fire department in Nassau County to have paid EMS responders, starting back in 1995," says L-C Fire Department Chief Ed Koehler. "I know that if my ambulance crew is in the firehouse, they can be at the scene within three minutes."

The South Shore community began slowly, starting with one paid medical technician on call each day. The department now has paid coverage Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.

"They roll to everything," Koehler says of his rescue crew, including general alarms of fire, where they stand by in case a firefighter gets hurt. "It's working real well. We'd like to expand the program and the coverage."

Such coverage doesn't come cheap, but the department makes sure it's included in the annual budget. The fire department is incorporated, Koehler explains, and contracts out services to various communities for a price negotiated by the department and the village or villages. "We contract out our fire protection and rescue services to Cedarhurst, Lawrence and North Lawrence," Koehler says, adding that their budget had increases built in to cover the cost of hiring an EMS technician.

Koehler says that to help defray costs, the department is thinking of charging nonresidents who need the ambulance's services, but there will never be an additional charge to local taxpayers.

"I'm getting a good response," Koehler says about the program. "It's a really good feeling."

Spreading Nationally

The phenomenon of adding paid members to volunteer fire departments is growing. Jim Wilson is chief of Vashon Island, Wash., Fire and Rescue, and has added a number of paid members in recent years.

"Adding paid responders was the culmination of an eight-year grassroots effort by our volunteer members asking for relief," he explains in an e-mail. "It was also identified as a major goal of our strategic plan."

While such an undertaking can help in getting rescuers to calls faster--Wilson says response times improved "by over four minutes per call"--it's not without its risks.

"This is the single-most controversial and potentially divisive organizational change imaginable," he writes.

Although fire departments are known for their camaraderie and teamwork, they are also bound by decades of tradition, and do not take easily to change. While Chief Wilson extols the benefits of his new hires--"In addition to the obvious benefits, the career staff assumes responsibility for all the mundane tasks such as apparatus checks, washing vehicles, scrubbing toilets, mowing lawns, inspections, smoke detector installations and all other drudgery"--such a move carries a price that involves more than just money.

Why Does This Matter?

It seems on the surface like a no-brainer: Give the volunteers a couple of bucks to keep putting out the fires. But in an organization as tradition-bound as volunteer firefighting, don't expect any dramatic turnarounds.

One of the reasons the volunteers like things the way they are is that they're just that: volunteers. You show up when you can, if you can. If you can't, "Hey, we're volunteers. Whaddaya want?"

But if they start taking money for rolling the trucks, someone might (rightfully) expect some accountability.

And that would just grate on people who started doing this because they wanted to help. Firefighters of every stripe pride themselves on being able to work as a team but think independently. The nature of the work requires it.

Yet if you start expecting folks who are used to giving of their time on their terms to fill out time sheets, it's going to rankle more than a few. It's a contentious issue with no clear-cut solutions. No matter which path fire departments follow, someone's going to be pissed off.

"Above all else, do not underestimate the power of ego and/or jealousy," chief Wilson says. "They are powerful human emotions. Take considerable time to plan and execute the change and be fully prepared for acrimony."

We may not have considerable time left. Long Island's volunteers are nearing the breaking point. Overworked and overused, they're responding to too many EMS requests where the caller is looking for nothing more than a free ride to the hospital, trying to bypass a stint in the ER waiting room.

It's a matter of when--and not if--the volunteers back the ambulance into the firehouse for good and let someone get paid to do the work they now do for free. The question is, who's going to end up paying...and how much?

Joining Up

By Rory J. Thompson

To understand the problem, you need to understand how the Long Island volunteer fire service works.

After someone decides they want to be a volunteer, they undergo an interview process and a background check. This can include employment or academic history, a meeting with parents if the volunteer's 18 or still living at home, a physical exam and a criminal-record check (arsonists need not apply). If they pass all that successfully, they are voted into a fire company or department and begin training.

A good example would be New York attorney Ron Burke, who joined the Rockville Centre Fire Department shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Burke began a year-long training period, which included working with the fire company on a one-to-one basis, learning some of the basics of ladder and hose handling, putting on the fire gear (coat, bunker pants, boots, helmet, gloves, air tank and mask), and working as part of a team.

"There were more hours involved with the training than I expected," Burke says.

Having mastered the basics, the probationary firefighter ("probie") then attended nighttime classes at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy and learned what it's like to be in a fire. While the training-simulation fire is somewhat controlled, the flames, heat and smoke are real and unpredictable--just like the fires the probie will respond to as a volunteer. It's here where the real firefighters are separated from the buffs.

"The training was intense," Burke recalled. "There were six nights in a classroom setting of two hours each. That was followed by five nights of two to three hours each on the actual academy fireground, fighting various types of fires."

Even practice firefighting is hot, sweaty and dangerous. Although there are instructors and seasoned firefighters all around, people sometimes do get hurt; it's part of the job. But once a probie has successfully completed his or her training, they're certified as a full-time volunteer firefighter. The volunteer is expected to respond to a certain percentage of calls each year, as well as regular training sessions, to keep skills sharp.

Burke recalled that in addition to his formal fire academy classes, he also worked with his home fire company one-on-one for hours on end, learning about all the equipment on the trucks and the various tools.

"It was a real eye-opener," he says.

No one gets paid for any of this. But the true volunteers don't join up for the money; they do it because of a desire to help others and contribute to their community--a desire that for the rest of us is, like the ad says, "priceless."

What Price Safety?

By Rory J. Thompson

If you live in Nassau County and are thinking that paying some firefighters might not be such a bad idea--as long as they'd be guaranteed to actually show up when needed--you might want to crunch some numbers first.

According to Jim Olivo, village auditor for Garden City, that community budgeted a little under $4.5 million for fire protection services this year. That's up from $4 million for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. The sum covers 36 paid firefighters and chiefs, as well as supplies such as flashlights, hoses, axes and coats for the department's volunteers, who draw no salary. The paid firefighters average about $60,000 annually in base salary after five years, but the budget also takes into consideration benefits, overtime and higher pay for officers.

The Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department has an annual budget this year of a little over $397,000 for fire protection services, and the town's part-time medical technicians (who get no benefits) are paid out of that. Last year's budget was $382,000. But outside of the EMS teams, the community is protected by an all-volunteer firefighting force.

At Vashon Island Fire and Rescue (in Washington State), Chief Jim Wilson is struggling with rising overtime spending. The department had budgeted $392,000 for wages this year, with an additional $17,500 as overtime contingency. But as of July 1, it had already spent $29,308 on overtime.

"As you can see, overtime, due to cumulative accrual of vacation and sick leave, is killing us," Wilson noted in an e-mail.

There has been some talk (and political crowing) about giving volunteer firefighters tax breaks in order to encourage recruitment and retention. This past January, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy filed legislation allowing firefighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) volunteers who owned co-ops to receive the same 10 percent exemption on their property tax bills as those who own their own homes. And in April, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) proposed giving a $1,000 tax credit to each active volunteer across the country in recognition of service.

But if past history is any indication, such breaks won't amount to much. In 2002, amid much publicity, a limited property tax exemption for volunteer firefighters and ambulance technicians became state law. The actual amount of savings on my own annual tax bill would have been a whopping $17. Gee, thanks.

[Guest]

If anyone wants to see a well-run , large all-volunteer Fire Dept. in L.I., start with Central Islip.

My late father-in-law was a volunteer there for 30+ years and their vollies DO show up for calls. As long as there is committed, professional leadership at the top of the organization and a Town which gives its Fire Dept. 1st priority in budgetary matters, it can and will work !!!!!

[grumpyff 1,159]

I have experienced this first hand, and unfortunately, do not see any solution to this. I put in almost 16.5 years in Pleasantville and saw a change in the amount of people who availible. When I first joined in December 1988 (wow do I feel old) apparatus was routinely out the door before the horn stopped blowing, for almost every alarm. Sure, daytime might have been a little thin, but it was enough to properly man the apparatus. Nighttime alarms would see apparatus overflowing with members. A car fire in the middle of the night could see 20 to 30 members easily. Individual companies manned their own apparatus, and riding out with other companies was rare(i.e Engine Co. members staffed E259/E91, Patrol members on R47, Ladder members on TL5). By the late 1990's/ early 2000's saw the thinning of membership require that crews be put together regardless of company, and a formation of SOGs as to the order of apparatus response(such as E259 first out of HQ for any alarm involving a structure). Response times slightly increased as you had to wait for enough members to arrive to staff the apparatus. Personallly, I thought the idea was long overdue, it forced companies to train together, and work as one department, better. Sure company rivalaries exist, always will, as a matter of pride(my company is better than yours, "my Rescue has more toys", etc.). An alarm of a possible structure in the middle of the night may draw 20 -30 members, but they have been better trained to work as one department, and are more competent firefighters having gotten cross training in engine company ops, ladder ops, not just the company they belong to.

Volunteer Departments will always exist in this country, however I think that in this area of the country you will see more combination paid/volunteer departments. As some of you know I recently moved to Putnam County, to a house I recently bought, after renting appartments for the last 10 years. I have really considered joining Patterson FD once I get settled in. Unfortunately I have been sick lately, and that has really been a drain on my time. I can see how some people who want to join, and might have joined 10 to 15 years ago, no longer have the time. For myself my commute is now an extra 45 minutes( from when I was in Pleasantville) each, for a total of about an hour and a half. Add in extra time at work to cover some bills, I could see how these 'prospective' members could be dettered from joining, or not be availible for alarms for half or more of the day. Almost 14 hours of my day is spent commuting to work, work, and coming home. When get home I sleep like a rock. Imagine trying to find time to join a department, take the required training(which I already have ), add in training with the department that is required, alarms, and other details. I could see how some people could be discouraged. I know from experience in Pleasantville, more people were moving in from New York City, and were unaware the FD was volunteer, figuring that their high taxes paid for the fire department, as well as police, EMS,sanitation, etc. I wish I had some ideas as to a solution to this problem, unfornately I have none

Edited October 17, 2005 by grumpyff

[AndyC3J 190]

That might some day be a problem on Long Island, but there are parts of the state, like up here in little ol' Orange County, where it already IS a problem. Quite a few companies in this neck of the woods for whom assembling a crew during daylight hours is asking for a small miracle. A recent article in the paper stated that one rural department only had nine active members on the roster, and most of them work outside the district.

Anyone who's ever seen a parade in Long Island knows they aren't hurting for membership yet. I saw three or four of 'em this summer, and let me tell you, there were some departments down there who had more men in line of march than some Orange County departments have overall members. Some of them pretty near doubled that number, even. How many of those guys are around during the day, I have no idea, but with a membership that large, I can't help but think they don't have much trouble getting an engine out at any given time.

It doesn't matter what part of the state you talk about, that whole issue is one that will soon be a huge problem everywhere as long as the cost of living continues to spiral out of control and force people to commute farther away from home in search of a liveable wage, or worse yet, be driven out of the area altogether in search of an affordable place to live.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

I'm from Nassau on Long Island, and for the most part this topic has been talked about for decades...in fact I have a 5 part article run in Newsday from the late 70's speaking of the same stuff. I do agree it may have gotten a bit worse, but on the EMS level. Many Departments in Nassau and Suffolk have paid AMT's on duty during the day, as well as some overnight in Suffolk. Nassau County PD run an ambulance division which takes a load off the Volunteers, but in Suffolk ems is run by FD's and Ambulance corps. with a few private ems firms in the loop. The techs are classified as part time in most departments and get an hourly wage. As for the Fire side what will happen is more automatic mutual aide systems being put in place. Levittown, Bethpage and East Meadow have some areas where on the first alarm a station from another district is alerted, but this is in place more for the fact that the district lines are drawn so crazy that another districts station is a block from the border of another. When it comes to working fires the system still works. Anyone having any LI questions feel free to drop me a line on the board.