OTEGO _ Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., visited the Otego Fire Department on Wednesday to discuss efforts to keep volunteer and paid fire departments fully staffed.
The plan includes a $1,000 refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters and emergency-service personnel, and was discussed during a midafternoon press conference at the fire house.
In a separate initiative, Schumer is also working for an expansion of a grant program that would fund retaining or rehiring firefighters.
Local officials and firefighters welcomed attention to the issue.
According to Schumer, he is the lead sponsor of Senate legislation that would provide a tax credit to people who give at least 40 hours a year to a department. The legislation is in finance committee, and there is no timetable for when it will come up for a vote, Schumer's staff said.
There are several factors causing volunteer departments across the nation to struggle, he said. These range from more single-parent households to the need in other households for both parents to be working, he said.
The $1,000 tax credit would not only encourage new volunteers, but it would apply to those who are already volunteering their time, he said.
"It will be a great tool for recruiting," said Carl French, Otsego County deputy fire coordinator and Otsego County Fire Advisory Board chairman.
"We welcome the initiative," said Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman James Powers. The area does not have the tax base to expand paid firefighter services beyond those provided by the Oneonta Fire Department, he said.
Among those who discussed the proposal after the press conference was 3-year volunteer firefighter Joe Hurlburt Jr., a cousin of the Otego fire chief. If approved, the proposal will be an incentive to continue volunteering, he said.
For fire departments such as Oneonta, Schumer said he has worked to expand the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program beyond requirements that only allow for new hires.
"Our cities are struggling because of the recession," he said. The change, which is in budget appropriations passed by both houses of the Legislature, would help their efforts, he said.
It would let grant recipients rehire or retain staff in danger of being laid off, he said.
"I applaud your efforts to support small cities," said Oneonta Chief Robert Barnes during his remarks. The department has tried to access the funds before, he said.
If future efforts are successful, the changes will provide greater flexibility, he said.
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