Issues of United Concern 2025
The NYS Fire Service Alliance kicked off the 2025 legislative season today by meeting in Troy to discuss the issues of united concern. In attendance were Districts, Chiefs, FASNY, Fire Police, Coordinators and a number of other interested parties including CAFDA and our fire service lobbyists. The following are legislative items for the coming session:
Top Five:
- Make permanent Heart and Lung presumptions
- Adoption of Residential Sprinklers in the State Building Code (Lobby to insure that sprinkler provisions currently in the ICC Building Code remain there)
- Amend the VFBL regulations to insure parity with payments made to workers compensation recipients for volunteer firefighters.
- Increase the income tax credit to $800 annually, and if possible include ability to collect on the property tax incentive for recruitment and retention.
- Make permanent the EMS cost recovery provisions
Also Discussed:
- Recovery of 54g funding to support local government code enforcement efforts, former funding was folded in with State Funding in the General Fund. (These funds come from the insurance industry)
- Amend the mental hygiene law in support of the “First Responder Peer Support Act”
- Designate EMS as an “Essential” Service and expand the benefits available to EMS personnel and set standards for EMS.
- Create the local option for the AHJ to provide pay per call stipends for volunteer firefighters with the needed amendments to VFBL to allow pay per call without penalty.
- Cancer coverage relief by having the State pay for the cost of coverage
- Exempt the Fire/EMS services from the EV mandates set by the state.
- Continued focus on illegal conversions which circumvent the requirements of the Building Codes.
- NYS retirement credit for employees who volunteer as fire or EMS members. For example 1 year of credit for every 5 years as a volunteer with a maximum of 3 years additional credit.
- Secure a sales tax exemption for home use life safety products such as detectors or extinguishers.
- Phase out PPE containing PFAS chemicals.
- Redirect 911 fees to the local government directly instead of to the State General Funds and then a subsequent grant program. These funds are needed to fund NEXT-GEN 911 upgrades.