A Safety Net We Cannot Afford To Lose

There’s a reason we can wake up each day, go about our routines and feel a sense of security. It’s because we have people willing to run toward danger when others need help. Our first responders provide that sense of security, putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the rest of us.

Paramedics, firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs, 911 dispatchers, hazmat response teams, park rangers, search and rescue volunteers, disaster response teams and so many others make up the network of people we depend on in an emergency. It’s work that is often taken for granted because we don’t fully appreciate it until we’re confronted with danger ourselves.

This week, we recognized National First Responders Day to acknowledge the men and women who make immense sacrifices. It’s not a job everyone is equipped to do. It takes a particular kind of courage and a willingness to put others first.

But that willingness to serve is becoming harder to find, particularly in our volunteer emergency services. As I mentioned last week, New York’s volunteer first responder system is in trouble, and that’s especially concerning for our region, where we rely heavily on volunteers. Since the early 2000s, New York’s volunteer fire service has declined from 120,000 to about 80,000 members—a loss of roughly 40,000 volunteers. Our safety net cannot be taken for granted; it could disappear if we don’t invest in the people who make it possible.

My colleagues and I in the Assembly, on both sides of the aisle, recognize the importance of supporting these individuals. Beyond addressing recruitment and retention, Assembly Republicans have introduced legislation to reward those who serve, including tax breaks for volunteers, free use of state parks and campgrounds and additional support for those who dedicate their lives to public service.

We also need to protect first responders while they’re on the job: holding accountable those who target them with violence or harassment, protecting fire and EMS personnel from fentanyl exposure and recognizing the mental toll emergency response work can take. We introduced legislation to allow first responders diagnosed with PTSD to request line-of-duty sick leave and direct the Office of Mental Health to study therapeutic treatment techniques for PTSD.

These men and women deserve more than our thanks once a year. They need our support just as much as our communities need their service. National First Responders Day is a reminder that we must do both.

If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at [email protected]. You may also find me, Assemblyman Will Barclay, on Facebook or X at @WillABarclay.