Provides that a fire company may elect to include call firefighters within its membership who shall receive a stipend for each call that such firefighter responds to.
Summary
This bill would amend the General Municipal Law to authorize volunteer fire companies in New York to add a new category of membership called “call firefighters.” A call firefighter would serve when summoned by the fire company and would receive a stipend for each response. The fire company would set the stipend amount, but it could not exceed $50 per call or $5,000 per year per call firefighter.
To qualify, call firefighters would have to meet the same criteria and requirements as volunteer firefighters, and they would apply in whatever manner the fire company establishes. The bill also states that call firefighters would be treated like volunteer firefighters for purposes of status and benefits, including eligibility for the length of service award program, but they would not be entitled to pension or retirement benefits available to full-time professional firefighters.
Impact
The bill would create a new statutory option for volunteer fire companies, counties, cities, towns, villages, fire districts, fire protection districts, and other entities operating volunteer fire companies to compensate response-based members without converting them into full-time employees. It would amend the General Municipal Law by adding section 201-a and would affect how volunteer fire organizations recruit, compensate, and classify personnel. It also clarifies that these call firefighters may participate in the length of service award program, while expressly excluding them from pension or retirement benefits for professional firefighters.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the overall sentiment appears supportive and practical, aimed at helping volunteer fire companies staff responses and retain members. The proposal is framed as an optional tool rather than a mandate, which suggests an attempt to accommodate local flexibility and reduce resistance from municipalities or fire companies that may not want to adopt the model. No formal opposition or recorded controversy is available in the provided materials.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are compensation, classification, and benefit eligibility. Some stakeholders may question whether paying stipends per call blurs the line between volunteers and paid responders, while others may support it as a recruitment and retention incentive for understaffed fire companies. Another possible issue is the exclusion of pension and retirement benefits, which may be viewed as necessary to limit costs by some and insufficient compensation by others. Because the bill is permissive, local fire companies would decide whether to adopt call firefighters, which may reduce statewide controversy but could still raise concerns about administrative consistency and labor/benefit treatment.
Requires the office of fire prevention and control to pay training stipends in specific amounts to volunteer firefighters for completion of certain firefighter trainings; provides that if a volunteer fire company pays training stipends to volunteer firefighters in an amount below what is otherwise required to be paid by OFPC, OFPC shall pay the remaining amount.
Allows an authority having jurisdiction over a volunteer fire department or fire company in a county, city, town, village, fire district, or fire protection district to provide volunteer firefighters with a stipend for responses to calls and for certain standby services.
Relates to the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Albertson; changes "firemen" to "firefighters"; relates to the management and control as well as the usage of moneys received from foreign fire insurance companies by such association.
Allows municipalities to enact a local law, ordinance or resolution authorizing a fire company to establish a stipend program for volunteer firefighters who schedule and complete daytime duty coverage; allows the office of fire prevention and control may make available state funds through a day shift stipend to volunteer firefighters for scheduled daytime duty coverage.
Relates to the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Bethpage, Nassau county, New York, Inc.; changes "firemen" to "firefighters"; directs that certain taxes received shall be used by such benevolent association in furtherance of its purposes.
Relates to the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Bethpage, Nassau county, New York, Inc.; changes "firemen" to "firefighters"; directs that certain taxes received shall be used by such benevolent association in furtherance of its purposes.
Creates a volunteer firefighter scholarship program and a volunteer firefighter scholarship fund; rewards volunteer firefighters who respond to twenty-five percent of emergency calls for eight years with a student loan award equal to four times the SUNY tuition rate; makes an appropriation therefor.
Provides cancer screening and treatment for retired volunteer firefighters; defines retired volunteer firefighters; retroactively applies to retired volunteer firefighters.