Chris Bragg
The Buffalo News, N.Y.
(TNS)

Feb. 1—ALBANY — During her state budget presentation on Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul will roll out a plan to invest $10 million to support the training, recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

• Podcast: The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Recruitment and Retention
• The Recruitment Crisis in the Volunteer Fire Service, Part 1 | Part 2

Nine million New Yorkers live in communities served by volunteer fire departments. But the Covid-19 pandemic decreased participation in the programs, and municipalities have struggled to recruit and retain people to provide the critical services.

The new funding proposed by Hochul includes $6.5 million to provide stipends to volunteer firefighters who complete core training. The other $3.5 million would go to the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to administer the program and enhance training capacity.

In addition, Hochul’s budget also includes legislation that would allow municipalities and fire companies to pay volunteer firefighters compensation for response to calls and completion of training.

“Volunteer first responders put their lives on the line to support their fellow New Yorkers, and we are forever indebted to them for their heroism,” Hochul said in a prepared statement. “Many communities across the state rely on services provided by volunteer firefighters but need further support to recruit and retain people willing to serve their neighbors. With this proposal we are recognizing that it takes time, commitment and dedication to be a volunteer firefighter, and that we must provide resources to support those crucial, life-saving efforts.”

Volunteer fire departments provide coverage to approximately 46% of the population, but 76% have reported a decrease in volunteer service in recent years, according to Hochul’s office.

Between 1997 and 2020, according to Hochul’s office, there was a 29% increase in fire incidents in the state. This combined with the volunteer shortage has led to an increase in “mutual aid calls” in which the local “home” department must call on a neighboring department to help. According to Hochul’s office, this has strained the resources of not only volunteer departments, but also professional, career fire departments.

Hochul is set to deliver her second budget address at noon Wednesday at the State Capitol in Albany. The deadline for Hochul and the Legislature to strike an agreement for an on-time budget is April 1.

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Residents, elected officials and city staff gathered at Lighthouse Point’s newly-constructed fire station for a grand opening ceremony on Jan. 21 that drew close to 300 attendees, pointpubs.com reported.

The new two-story fire station, located at 2101 NE 36th Street (Sample Road), includes a state-of-the-art emergency operations center and was built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, which will allow first responders and essential city staff to remain in the city during major storms or other disasters, the report said. 

The fire station became operational on Nov. 18 after construction delays related to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the report.  

In 2018, Lighthouse Point voters approved a $16.5 million bond to fund five major infrastructure projects in the city, including the new fire station, the report said. 

The fire station is a “drive-thru” facility, with two ways for fire rescue vehicles to go in and out, and direct access to a major thoroughfare, which eliminates having to drive through local streets to get out of the station, helping to decrease response times, the report said. 

The final cost of the new fire station has not yet been determined, but the total cost so far, excluding the purchase of the land, is approximately $9 million, according to the city’s finance department, the report said.

Ground will soon be broken on a new West End fire station after the city council voted unanimously Monday night to spend an extra $3.3 million on the project, NewburyportNews.com reported.

A $5.9 million bond order was unanimously approved by the council in 2021 for designing and constructing an approximately 6,800-square-foot building to replace the aging, 2,258-square-foot John F. Cutter Fire Station on Storey Avenue, the report said.

The station has been in use since the early 1970s but its roof has deteriorated and the building no longer meets fire codes, according to the report.

The proposed single-story, net-zero energy consumption fire station would be three times larger than the current building, the report said. It has been designed by Winter Street Architects of Salem.

Now that the council has approved the extra money, the original $5.9 million bond order will need to be rescinded in favor of the new $9.2 million bond order, the report said.

• Newburyport (MA) Fire Station Projected to Cost $3M More Than Expected

Traci Hastings
The Chronicle, Willimantic, Conn.
(TNS)

Jan. 31—The Town of Andover will conduct a special town meeting to discuss proposed expenditures on Feb. 7.

The first item on the agenda concerns the purchase of a new plow truck to replace a 1997 Ford. Town officials propose securing a five-year loan to pay for the truck, which is anticipated to be in use for the 2023-24 winter season.

The second order of business is to approve a grant through the state’s Small Town Economic Assistance Program. The town would receive $275,000, but would have to contribute $75,000 from town funds in order to obtain the grant. The grant monies would be used to continue removing hazardous materials from the old fire station, including asbestos, lead, and mold, and then demolish the structure. The funding would also provide new parking for senior citizen transportation services.

Townspeople will also act on funds from a second grant, this one through the state Department of Transportation, for an amount up to $800,000. The monies would be used to reconstruct portions of Hendee Road, Long Hill Road, and Skinner Hill Road. The town would have to contribute up to $35,000 for engineering and surveying work for the project from town funds.

The final decision to be made at the town meeting concerns a third grant, to be used for a Recreational Trails Study, to determine how to connect the municipal buildings on School Road with access to the rail trail and a multi-use pathway. The study is estimated at $53,000, with local funds covering an estimated twenty percent of that cost.

The town meeting will take place in the Andover Elementary School gymnasium, located at 35 School Road, at 7 p.m.

Follow the Chronicle on Twitter — @theCTChroniclect

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(c)2023 The Chronicle (Willimantic, Conn.)

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- PUB DATE: 2/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFSN-TV ABC 30 Fresno