Forum aims to improve LI fire services, recruitment

The East Meadow Fire Department played host to a roundtable discussion on Monday that focused on how to improve volunteer emergency services on Long Island and across the state.
   
Assemblyman Tom McKevitt (R,C,I-East Meadow) led the forum, along with fellow East Meadow representatives Michael Montesano (R,C,I-Glen Head) and David McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) and upstate colleague Cliff Crouch (R, I-Guilford). They joined a group that included volunteer firefighters and officers, as well as officials from emergency management and response agencies.
   
“These selfless individuals donate their time to help others, while also juggling full-time jobs and training requirements,” McKevitt said. “Our goal is to ease the burdens placed on volunteers so we can increase recruitment and retention.”
   
Like many during the economic downturn, more and more volunteer firefighters are taking on second jobs and added responsibilities. But while personal commitments rise, demands at the firehouse increase. Training requirements continue to get more demanding and challenging for volunteers, explained Garden City Fire Commissioner Rick Gardner.
   
“You want to donate your time,” he said, “but if you look at what it takes to get  [there], it’s overwhelming.”
  
Carey Welt, commissioner for the East Meadow Fire Department, offered an estimate of how many rookies drop out during their first year.
  
“In the first year, the most demanding, we probably lose half the people who come in,” he said.
  
According to Welt, first-year firefighters typically have 260 to 270 hours of training before they can go into a building for a fire.
   
Other officers at the table agreed with that figure, though Kirby Hannon, a representative from the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, pointed out that it’s different for upstate departments because training is often delayed and not as readily available for responders.