Long Island in need of volunteer firefighters
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - The steep decline in the number of volunteer firefighters is causing concern over critical response time.
There was a big push Thursday to replenish the ranks.
"They won't remember our names, but they will remember we showed up that night," Regina Cabrera said.
Cabrera is a Long Island volunteer firefighter who's passionate about her overwhelming emotion every time she's called to help. She's reaching out to other women and minorities to consider joining the ranks.
"I have a social life. I go to church. I have a 9-5. I do a lot. But why not push yourself to do something? You don't know what you're capable of until you try," Cabrera said.
There are 179 fire departments on Long Island. All but two are volunteer.
"Neighbors helping neighbors. I think that's one of the greatest things I could say. We are all neighbors helping neighbors in the fire service," Donald Corkery, president of the New York State Association of Fire Districts, said.
Just after 9/11, firefighter volunteers in Nassau soared to 10,000. Those numbers are down to 6,000 - not enough to protect a county of nearly 1.5 million people.
"Your fire department, as a community group, should be a reflection of who lives there, and we are trying to reach out to those folks. And we're finding there's a lot of people who want to help, they just didn't know," Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said.
It's not a career. It's a vocation. One that comes with perks and benefits, including income tax credits, breaks on property taxes, some free college tuition.
In a survey released Thursday, more than 80% of homeowners appreciate the cost savings for communities.
"To replace the volunteer firefighters, 80,000 of us in the state of New York, with career, paid firefighters would cost New York state an additional $4.7 billion in taxes," President of the New York State Firefighters Association Edward Tase, Jr. said.
Volunteer Brandon Cohen, 18, hopes to stay and serve Long Island.
"I have family in the fire service, so it kind of made a drive for me to want to join and follow in my dad's footsteps," Cohen said.
Saving lives, property, and making a real difference.
The recruiting drive continues, highlighted with statewide fire department open houses on the weekend of April 13.
