CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY – In rural areas across the nation, volunteer fire departments protect and serve their communities, but officials say recruiting and keeping members is often a challenge. RecruitNY is out to change that and is holding a recruiting event this weekend. Several local fire departments will hold tours, open house events and demonstrations this weekend.
Bemus Point will offer tours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and also a live auto-extraction demonstration.
Chautauqua will have an open house Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Falconer will hold equipment demonstrations.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday Fluvanna will offer tours.
Forestville will hold tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and will have a search and rescue drill.
Kennedy will offer tours from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.
An open house will be held Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday in Kiantone.
Lakewood will host tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Lakewood Volunteer Fire Company will have an open house 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Stockton will hold tours from 10 .m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Sunset Bay will host tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Westfield will have an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
This list was provided by the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York.
RecruitNY is asking potential volunteers “Is there a fire in you?” and “Are you in?”
Since the inception of RecruitNY, more than 20,000 volunteer firefighters have been added to various departments across New York.
RecruitNY, a major initiative of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), is promoting open house events at firehouses across the state this coming weekend. This will be the eighth straight year of this recruitment initiative, a cornerstone of FASNY’s ongoing recruitment campaign.
Members of the public will be able to get a taste of what it means to be a volunteer firefighter. Across New York State, volunteer firefighters will be conducting firehouse tours, demonstrating firefighting techniques, and more, all to generate interest and appreciation for what members of the fire service do on a regular basis. Anyone interested in the possibility of joining the fire service will have the opportunity to speak with active volunteers, who can discuss what being a member of the fire service entails.
“It is a privilege and an honor to serve as a volunteer firefighter,” said FASNY President Ken Pienkowski. “Joining the fire service is an incredibly rewarding thing to do, and all across New York State, volunteers are eager to discuss this possibility with their neighbors, friends, and family. Serving as a volunteer firefighter means serving one’s community, but it also means joining a very close, very special family. We are always heartened to see New Yorkers turn out to support their volunteer firefighters, and expect to see many faces, both familiar and new, during this year’s RecruitNY event.”
Pienkowski noted that volunteer firefighters save New Yorkers money. In 2016, FASNY released an economic impact report, which concluded that the annual cost of a replacement, all-paid fire service would be $3.87 billion. Furthermore, property taxes in New York State would rise by an estimated average of 26.5%. These figures do not factor in the costs of acquiring the necessary facilities and equipment needed to accommodate a paid fire service. The volunteer fire service, and efforts like RecruitNY, make the State not only safer, but also more affordable.
Established in 2011, RecruitNY is a joint undertaking by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC), Association of Fire Districts of New York State, Volunteer Fire Police Association of the State of New York, and County Fire Coordinators Association of the State of New York.
For area residents looking to find if your fire department is participating in RecruitNY, visit http://www.recruitny.org/participation-area/ or for more information, contact your local fire department via a non-emergency phone number or its website or visit www.recruitny.org.
Any local departments interested in promoting any of their events can contact WNYNewsNow at newsdesk@new.wnynewsnow.com.
