Sunday, April 20, 2025
Amid an ongoing shortage of volunteers, a referendum on the ballot in next month’s Lynbrook village election proposes extending the Length of Service Awards Program benefits for the village’s volunteer firefighters by two decades.
Under the current system, a volunteer can earn benefits for up to 30 years of service — a $20-per-month stipend for each year up to 30 years, meaning a maximum of $7,200 overall. The referendum would allow the village to increase the eligible length of service to 50 years, and the total maximum benefits to $12,000.
“We want them to continue to volunteer,” Steve Grogan, a former captain of the Lynbrook Fire Department, said.
Recognizing the statewide volunteer firefighter shortage decades ago, New York state introduced the Length of Service program in 1990, and the village adopted it four years later.
In addition to LOSAP benefits, volunteers are eligible for property tax exemptions, state income tax credits, tuition assistance and free annual medical exams. They also receive free training and equipment and, while they serve, workers’ compensation benefits.
Grogan said that the shortage of volunteers remains a widespread challenge, citing the difficulty of balancing a full-time job and a firefighter’s duties. Those who are retired often have more time to volunteer, and the referendum would provide additional incentives for long-term participation, he said.
While there is no age limit for volunteers, they must undergo annual physical assessments and training. “As long as they’re checking all those boxes, they can maintain their service,” LFD Chief Scott Bien said.
Some department volunteer drive trucks, answer calls and take on less physically demanding tasks.
The volunteer shortage has been an issue for decades, Grogan explained, and the department has used LOSAP and other outreach programs to make firefighting a more attractive avocation.
In 1979, Grogan and fellow firefighter Len Llewelyn co-founded the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department to introduce young people to the fire service by offering school credits. The initiative was a success, Grogan said, and the program has since expanded to other area departments including East Rockaway, Malverne, Rockville Centre and Valley Stream.
There are currently 30 juniors in the LFD program, and more than 70 former juniors now serve in the department.
Bien started in the junior program at age 12, continuing his family’s firefighting legacy. “It was always something that interested me when I was younger,” he rcalled.
Participants, who are ages 12 to 17, train in firefighting gear, and learn how to handle hoses and climb ladders.
In Nassau County, volunteer firefighters play a crucial role in emergency services, saving taxpayers billions of dollars annually, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has reported. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are just over 130 volunteer departments in the county, and only two departments have full-time professional firefighters.
If Nassau County replaced its volunteer firefighters with professionals, the cost would be over $341 million annually, including more than $279 million in additional pay and benefits, according to a 2023 study by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. That would result in an average property tax increase of 6.5 percent.
The referendum for LOSAP will be on the March 18 village election ballot. For more information on the elections, visit LynbrookVillage.net.
