Firefighters gearing up for annual recruitment event

DURHAM―Across New York State, an estimated 80,000 volunteer firefighters help protect their communities. But fire officials have been sounding the alarm for years as that number has continued to plummet from more than 120,000 over the last two decades.

This weekend, April 18-19, firehouses across the state will open their doors as part of the annual RecruitNY campaign. Organized by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY), it gives the public an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a volunteer firefighter.

Among the departments hosting an event is Oak Hill-Durham where volunteer Terry Borwegen says they currently have around 35 active members.

“Active membership has gone down a lot. When I was growing up, this is just what you did. There were social events, work details, and camaraderie,” Borwegen said.

“We were all involved growing up with our parents,” she added.

Borwegen has been an official member for about 27 years along with her husband Ralph Borwegen who has more than 50 years of service. Their three children and two of their grandchildren are also involved.

There was a time that a single department could handle a structure fire without mutual aid; now multiple departments are getting toned for manpower.

Fire officials have attributed the decline, in part, to a shift in society’s sense of community as various types of organizations are also facing a shortage of volunteers.

“Mom and dad are both working, and the younger generation doesn’t understand volunteering because they are not exposed to it. Some are active with traveling sports, and if they have spare time, they use it for gaming and getting caught up on their social media,” noted Borwegen.

“In the past, everyone knew everyone else in town. Now, there are a lot of people in the surrounding area that we don’t know. They move in and then out again. We also have a good amount of second homes and Airbnbs in our rural area. It’s a different dynamic,” she said.

In 2023, FASNY released its second study in the past decade that examines the economic impact of New York's volunteer firefighters. The finding: volunteer firefighters help New York taxpayers save $4.7 billion annually through their services.

Of the state’s nearly 1,700 fire departments, more than 9 in 10 are all-volunteer or mostly volunteer. In rural counties, like Greene, every fire department is volunteer.

Going all paid would mean hiring an estimated 31,058 firefighters statewide, resulting in local property taxes skyrocketing an average of 28.4 percent, the report found.

In addition, there would be a one-time cost of $8.17 billion to acquire existing structures, vehicles and equipment, FASNY reported.

“Although no one is proposing such a drastic conversion to an all-career fire service, this analysis demonstrates the value of volunteers and shows the enormous increases in property tax required absent volunteers,” the report stated.

Back in December, FASNY announced The “Volunteer Optimization Legislative Initiative” (VOLI), a package of 14 legislative actions that would provide additional recruitment and retention tools to volunteer departments. Among the proposals is to enhance the volunteer firefighter/EMS tax credit, create a childcare and family inclusion tax credit, allow municipalities to opt in to grant an exemption from property taxes for volunteers up to 100 percent, and establish an employer tax incentive for businesses that allow volunteer firefighters to respond to calls during working hours.

Throughout this weekend’s RecruitNY event, firehouses will conduct tours of stations and apparatus, allow visitors to try on gear, demonstrate firefighting activities, provide information, and address questions on becoming a member. Volunteer firefighters will also be on hand to discuss the requirements and rewards of joining. All are welcome, including families with children.

“RecruitNY is about showing people that they can make a real, tangible difference right in their own communities,” said FASNY President Gene Perry.

“Volunteer firefighters are everyday individuals who step up in exceptional ways. This weekend gives people the chance to see themselves in that role and to truly understand just how vital these departments are to public safety,” Perry said.

In addition to Oak Hill-Durham on April 18, local participating departments include Catskill and DM Hamilton Steamer Co. 2 in Coxsackie on April 18, and Coxsackie Hose Co. 3 in Coxsackie on April 18-19.

Oak-Hill Durham will also host a free-will-offering breakfast with Sparkey from 8-11 a.m.

For more info, or to find a list of participating departments statewide, visit fireinyou.org/recruitny/participants.

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