(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.) Volunteer firefighters now can have up to one-hundred percent of their tuition costs for online courses at SUNY Empire State College’s Center for Distance Learning funded by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).

“By partnering with Empire State College, we are ensuring that more of our volunteer firefighters have access to higher education while at the same time providing lifesaving services to their communities,” saidFASNY President James Burns.  “Our HELP program has been an integral tool in recruiting and retaining new members. This new partnership will make our program even more robust.”

“By including Empire State College in the HELP program, FASNY has dramatically expanded access for volunteer firefighters to earn an associate degree online,” said Meg Benke, acting president of Empire State College. “Special thanks go to Jim Burns and his team at FASNY, college alumnus and former volunteer firefighter Richard Wishnie, Empire State College Professor Jim Savitt and the college’s Office of Academic Affairs for their hard work in making this arrangement possible.”

About FASNY HELP

Launched in 2011, FASNY established the HELP program to assist volunteer fire departments in attracting and retaining more members.  Under FASNY HELP, a student/volunteer firefighter who hasn’t already achieved an associate’s degree or higher will be eligible to have up to 100% of his/her tuition reimbursed in exchange for maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements as a member in good standing in one of New York’s volunteer fire companies.

The program is covers courses at all 29 SUNY community colleges throughout the state and has seen hundreds of students receive tuition reimbursement. FASNY HELP is made possible through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. More information and an online application form are available here.

About FASNY

Founded in 1872, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York represents the interests of the more than 92,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State.  For more information, visit fasny.com or fireinyou.org.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelors and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career.

The college offers more than 500 courses and complete degree programs online through its Center for Distance Learning. The college also educates students face to face at more than 35 locations in the state of New York. Its 66,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. More information about the college is available here.

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.) Volunteer firefighters now can have up to one-hundred percent of their tuition costs for online courses at SUNY Empire State College’s Center for Distance Learning funded by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).

“By partnering with Empire State College, we are ensuring that more of our volunteer firefighters have access to higher education while at the same time providing lifesaving services to their communities,” saidFASNY President James Burns.  “Our HELP program has been an integral tool in recruiting and retaining new members. This new partnership will make our program even more robust.”

“By including Empire State College in the HELP program, FASNY has dramatically expanded access for volunteer firefighters to earn an associate degree online,” said Meg Benke, acting president of Empire State College. “Special thanks go to Jim Burns and his team at FASNY, college alumnus and former volunteer firefighter Richard Wishnie, Empire State College Professor Jim Savitt and the college’s Office of Academic Affairs for their hard work in making this arrangement possible.”

About FASNY HELP

Launched in 2011, FASNY established the HELP program to assist volunteer fire departments in attracting and retaining more members.  Under FASNY HELP, a student/volunteer firefighter who hasn’t already achieved an associate’s degree or higher will be eligible to have up to 100% of his/her tuition reimbursed in exchange for maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements as a member in good standing in one of New York’s volunteer fire companies.

The program is covers courses at all 29 SUNY community colleges throughout the state and has seen hundreds of students receive tuition reimbursement. FASNY HELP is made possible through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. More information and an online application form are available here.

About FASNY

Founded in 1872, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York represents the interests of the more than 92,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State.  For more information, visit fasny.com or fireinyou.org.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelors and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career.

The college offers more than 500 courses and complete degree programs online through its Center for Distance Learning. The college also educates students face to face at more than 35 locations in the state of New York. Its 66,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. More information about the college is available here.

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The statewide campaign, which features actual volunteer firefighters Jessie Roland-Bystrak of the East Aurora Fire Department and Jeff Burkhart of the Oriskany Fire Department, was shot at the Clay Fire Department in Syracuse and demonstrates the dual role played by most volunteer responders–working or attending college by day and firefighting by night.

“On behalf of FASNY I would like to say how proud we are to have won this award, especially since it supports a campaign that aims to protect lives,” said FASNY President James Burns.  “Since these advertisements have aired, we have seen an increase in the number of firefighters joining our ranks. Clearly, this campaign is working.”

The “Is There a FIRE in You?” campaign is comprised of broadcast, cable, cinema, digital and social media ads and was launched by FASNY in 2012 in an attempt to recruit more than 15,000 volunteer firefighters and EMS personal across New York State over a span of three years.

Every year the Telly Awards highlight the best advertising and marketing campaigns across the country. Select judges review the submissions and render decisions.  However, the People’s Telly winner is selected by the public through online voting.

The advertising campaign was made possible by a United States Department of Homeland Security Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded to FASNY in 2011.

Syracuse-based advertising and marketing agency ABC Creative Group created the campaign.

“We are always happy to be recognized for our work, but this is an extra special award not only because of the nature of the campaign, but that it was a people’s choice winner,” said Owner of ABC Creative Group Travis Bort.

To view the award-winning ad visit http://fireinyou.org

On Friday, May 17, West will mark the one month anniversary of this fateful event. I have spoken with several members of the West Fire Department recently, and they are still trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. It will be months, possibly even longer, before things return to the “new normal” in West. Families have lost their homes, cars, and, in the case of these 11 families, their fathers, sons and brothers.

Therefore, I would like to ask every fire department and EMS agency for assistance in helping the families of our fallen brothers as well as the departments they served at.

Starting at 0700 and ending at 1800 hours on Friday, May 17, I would like to hold a boot drive at every department, one hour for each fallen firefighter/EMT. At the end of the specified time, we will collect the boots in a central location. After the funds have been tallied and checks prepared, I will hand deliver the proceeds to the West Fire Department at the end of May/early June.

If your department would like to participate in this special event, please complete the attached form and return it by May 15 at 1800 so your agency’s information can be included in the media packet.

A press release will be sent on May 15 announcing the event, and we will try to schedule some media appearances on May 14-15 to promote the fund raiser. On May 17, I will direct the media to the drive locations identified on your forms so they can speak with your department members and community donors.

If you have any questions, or to submit the data requested above, please call me at 585-329-1806 or email me at Ahmed_Mustafa@WestWebsterFD.org.

Thank you in advance for helping with this very special fund raiser. I know that the funds will be of tremendous help to the families and departments.

Lt Syed Ahmed Mustafa
FF/Paramedic
Webster Fire Department, Webster, NY

The Volunteer Firefighter and EMS responder is viewed as a reliable and trustworthy public servant that gives to the community and serves many times as a role model for children and young adults.  Assemblywoman Gunther’s bill gives our organizations the tools to deal with sex offenders, but we need to convince members of the Assembly and their staff of the importance of this legislation.

Please transmit electronically the memo prepared for you to demonstrate statewide support which she will be circulating to her colleagues and key staff to underscore the importance of this bill.

click here to email your support*

*If the support link does not open your default email client, please copy and paste the following into a new email to show your support.

To:
guntheA@assembly.state.ny.us

Subject:
Supporter of A2318-A

Body:

To: M. of A. Aileen Gunther

From: Supporter of A2318-A

Assemblywoman Gunther,

I am contacting your office to express my support for your legislation that would prohibit individuals that are registered as sex offenders from joining or remaining  as members of volunteer fire companies and volunteer ambulance companies.

Your legislation provides Volunteer response organizations with the necessary mandate to preclude level 1, 2, and 3 sex offenders from being part of our organizations. As Volunteers it is most important that we have a clear cut way to identify sex offenders. We can’t have offenders as members of our organizations when they must interact with young members of the communities we serve.

Please convey my sincere desire for the successful passage of this legislation to your colleagues and key staff members that will be reviewing this legislation. It is important to all Volunteers that we continue to be considered role models by the communities we serve.

From Suffolk County to St. Lawrence, Buffalo to Binghamton, fire departments conducted tours of their firehouses and fire apparatus, allowed visitors to try on turnout gear and provided demonstrations and activities. Members discussed the requirements to become a volunteer, answered questions and informed visitors how to join their fire department.

The events took place over the weekend of April 27 – 28, during National Volunteer Week, which happened also to coincide with the six-month anniversary of Super Storm Sandy – a poignant reminder of the role that volunteer firefighters play in times of crisis.

In the weeks leading up to RecruitNY, a number of campaigns and programs were launched.  Our Assistant Volunteer Program Coordinators were in the field throughout the state to deliver another round of “Train the Recruiter” sessions. These classes provided firefighters and chiefs in the field with the tools necessary to recruit new members in their respective districts.

In addition, a strong collaborative effort among FASNY leadership, FASNY’s Public Relations and Recruitment and Retention committees, county fire coordinators, ABC Creative Group and DKC Public Relations resulted in a wide range of media coverage as well as advertisements and social media campaigns promoting the weekend’s events.  To see some of the news coverage, including a mention in the Wall Street Journal, visit www.recruitny.org/media.php.

At the third annual RecruitNY open house, the men were not waiting for a fire call. They were waiting for potential volunteer firefighters.

“We have 20 active” members, said Adams Center Fire Chief Mark C. Thomas. “We’ll take as many as we can get. … We have a large number of functions that need to be filled, and the more people we can have show up on trucks in the initial stages, the better the possibility of saving the building.”

The weekend-long event was arranged statewide to encourage people interested in volunteer firefighting to apply. The Adams Center station, at 13401 North St., had its equipment on display, a cookout going and a number of volunteers on hand to answer questions.

The process of becoming a volunteer, Mr. Thomas said, involves filling out the required application, taking a physical exam, undergoing a background check and being voted in by members of the department. After that, volunteers must take either scene support or Firefighter I classes.

Firefighter I training takes 110 hours and qualifies volunteers to enter burning buildings. Scene support involves 27 hours of training. The only cost to the volunteer, aside from gasoline, is time.

“Your requirement is to get up and go, whether it’s dinnertime, time for bed or the middle of the night. I’ve been known to grab a pork chop off the table,” said Herbert A. Lucas, a volunteer at Adams Center since 1989. “Normal people run away from fires. Firemen run into them.”

“It’s an A-type personality; they’re not afraid to go into a burning building … service before self,” said Matthew B. Zahler, who joined the Adams Center crew after last year’s RecruitNY event.

They all agreed the job requires dedication.

“It’s a chance to give back to the community,” said third-year volunteer Danial B. Rowland.

“It inspires confidence,” said Errin E. Thomas, who is married to the fire chief. “You get to learn how to do a lot of things going in that you don’t think you’d be able to do. It’s empowering.”

“I’ve been wanting to (join) since I was 3. My dad was here; he’s a firefighter,” said 24-year-old Ashley L. Parks, a five-year volunteer.

“I think anyone even thinking about it should try it. … The Fire Department can use support in all areas,” Mrs. Thomas said.

There’s a position on the team for pretty much anyone, she said, whether it’s as an interior firefighter or a scene supporter. Fire police, such as Mr. Lucas, help out with traffic control at the scene.

In addition to fighting fires, men and women also respond to car accidents and downed trees and wires, and help to set up helicopter landing zones.

Fire Departments across Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties opened their doors for the RecruitNY event.

In St. Lawrence County, DeKalb Junction Fire Chief Robert Drake said, “We’re looking for younger recruits to get involved. There’s a lot of older people in the department.”

The DeKalb Junction Volunteer Fire Department has about 32 volunteers. Mr. Drake said he has room on his roster for at least 20 more.

In Lewis County, West Leyden interior firefighter Matthew Chrysler said his department is not the only one struggling to boost membership. “We rely heavily on mutual aid from neighboring districts,” he said. “We really are looking for a lot of volunteers.”

Anyone interested in becoming a firefighter is encouraged to contact a volunteer fire department for details.

The Vestal Fire Department was one of the stations that participated in the”RecruitNY” weekend.  As part of the weekend, visitors can tour the stations, try on gear, and get into fire trucks.

A Vestal Fire Captain says there is a job for anyone at the station: you can be a fire policeman, or even do clerical work. He says the number of volunteers has declined over the past few years, and it is important to boost numbers for the safety of the community.

“We can always use volunteers.  If we get a big fire it’s just nice to have more people,” said Andy Nazak, Captain of Vestal Fire Station #4.

“It’s my dad who inspired me to do this.  Come out and help the community, give back,” said applicant Kyle Kulp.

RecruitNY was established in 2011, and is run by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York and various other organizations.

Some stations will also be open on Sunday for tours.  For more information visit www.recruitny.org.

Dave chatted with Jessie Rolan-Bystrak from the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York about their volunteer firefighters open houses this weekend April 27-28th!

To learn more…or to find an open house near you…go to RecruitNY.org!

A special thanks to ALL of our firefighters and policemen and women…our true LOCAL heroes every day!

D&J

FASNY interview