The Senators explained that the benefits of the bill would be twofold. First, the free tuition would provide an incentive for those interested in college to fill these much-needed volunteer positions, and second, those already dedicating their free time to serve their communities in these positions would be rewarded for their service. The Senators’ bill would create a statewide program to administer these benefits, and they would only apply to those actively volunteering.
"Volunteer recruitment and retention is critical to the fire service across our state, as well as the citizens and communities we serve," said Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) President Edward Tase, Jr. "Our 80,000 volunteer firefighters save New Yorkers almost $4 billion annually in additional local property taxes through their unpaid service to their communities. To continue providing our lifesaving services - and the related economic benefits of local cost savings, we need to embrace new and creative ways to attract and retain volunteers. Providing free tuition to all SUNY, CUNY and community colleges across the state is an excellent example of this creative and cost-efficient approach to the challenges we face with recruitment and retention. FASNY and the entire volunteer fire service want to thank Senators Cooney and Rhoads and their colleagues for their leadership on this important piece of legislation."
“The New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association (NYSVARA) is pleased to endorse S9033 that would provide free SUNY, CUNY, and community college tuition to active volunteer first responders and we look forward to working with Senators Cooney and Rhoads to enact this groundbreaking legislation,” said NYSVARA Legislative Committee Chair Steven Kroll. “EMS staffing in New York State is in crisis and the shrinking number of EMTs and Paramedics is insufficient to meet the needs of communities and is a threat to public health. Data from the NYS Department of Health shows that the number of active and certified EMS personnel declined by 17% between 2019 and 2022. Many EMS services cannot staff the necessary number of ambulances, resulting in delays in both emergency and non-emergency responses. With EMS agencies forced to rely on an undersized workforce, EMTs and Paramedics feel the stress of the increased workload. We thank Senators Cooney and Rhoads for authoring this bill that would incentivize many New Yorkers to become volunteer first responders in their communities.”
