ADDABBO APPLAUDS SENATE & ASSEMBLY PASSAGE OF BILLS TO AID VOLUNTEER FIRE AND AMBULANCE CORPS I am pleased that three pieces of legislation designed to aid volunteer fire and ambulance corps in their vital and often dangerous work have been approved by the full Legislature and will soon go to Governor Cuomo for his final consideration. In my district, I have volunteer corps in Breezy Point, Roxbury, Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach, Ozone Park, Glendale, Forest Hills and Middle Village. Our volunteer firefighters and ambulance company members dedicate countless hours of their time to aiding their friends and neighbors in their times of greatest need – whether it means rushing to the scene of a house ablaze, responding to a car accident, transporting sick or injured individuals to the hospital, or providing medical care on scene. This commitment to the welfare of others is a priceless gift to our communities, and we should do all in our power to show our appreciation to these companies and lend a helping hand. The three pieces of legislation approved by the State Senate and State Assembly with my strong support are: S.337/A.392: This legislation would change the language of the law governing restitution or reparation to crime victims by perpetrators to enable volunteer fire companies to seek reimbursement for expenses they incur in responding to crime-related incidents. For example, this might enable a volunteer fire department to seek repayment for the costs of expensive firefighting chemicals used at the scene of arson. In short, volunteer companies that are often already struggling to raise funds shouldn’t need to assume the costs of responding to criminal incidents where restitution may be available. S.4379/A.6765: This bill would allow service awards utilized by many volunteer fire and ambulance companies to recruit and retain members to be exempt from personal income tax, as is already the case with similar municipal pensions or annuities. Length of Service Award Programs (LOSAPs) provide volunteers who have accumulated a certain amount of service time with the opportunity to draw upon these benefits when they reach a particular age. State and municipal employee pensions and similar benefits are already tax deductible; this would provide similar tax treatment for LOSAP awards. S.3590/A.400: This legislation seeks to ensure coverage similar to workers’ compensation benefits for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers who are injured in the line of duty while working outside of their jurisdiction in emergencies. Right now, the volunteer firefighters’ benefit law (VFBL) and the volunteer ambulance workers’ benefit law (VAWBL) generally provide this kind of line-of-duty injury coverage, but this legislation seeks to close several loopholes that sometimes lead to the denial of benefits. For example, volunteer firefighters who begin providing services outside of their regular jurisdiction before a commanding officer appears on the scene may be denied benefits if they are injured, even if delaying action may lead to further devastation at an emergency scene. This legislation would enable local government entities or fire companies to authorize coverage for volunteers in these circumstances. I was happy to approve these bills and am hopeful that Governor Cuomo will support our volunteer emergency responders by signing them into law. With Hurricane Sandy and other disastrous events in recent years – whether man-made or a result of severe weather and other natural emergencies – we know first-hand the extraordinary value of our volunteers who rush to the aid of others and often put themselves in harm’s way.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:00:00 +0000
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