Bipartisan Ra Bill Signed Into Law By Governor
Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) is pleased to announce that legislation creating a statewide volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention task force has been signed into law by the governor.
Ra cosponsored the legislation in the Assembly.
“The number of volunteer fighters has been decreasing in communities across the state for years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult for local departments and statewide associations to boost enrollment. A bipartisan group of members in the Assembly and Senate believe it’s time for the state to get more involved in solving this problem, so we got to work. We’re grateful the governor signed our bill, and we’re eager to get the task force off the ground,” said Ra.
The fourteen members of the task force will vet lots of ideas to improve enrollment, including new training partnerships with BOCES, high schools and community colleges, new tax incentives and creating a new bureau under the Office of Fire Prevention and Control dedicated solely to recruitment.“We also want members to research what other states are doing to address this problem. If they’ve identified successful solutions, we should take a look at adopting them,” said Ra.
“If you want to know what real citizenship is all about, if you want to know what it means to take care of your neighbors and put your community first, go talk to a volunteer firefighter,” said Ra. “This is about getting them more help. They need it and they deserve it.”