A dispute over whether New York should allow limited compensation for volunteer firefighters is exposing a deeper divide among the organizations that represent the state’s fire service, as recruitment and retention problems continue to strain departments across the state.
The New York State Association of Fire Chiefs and several allied fire service organizations are accusing the Firefighters Association of the State of New York of failing to consistently support legislation that would have allowed local governments to provide nominal compensation to volunteer firefighters. The groups say the proposal could help departments retain members who are increasingly balancing emergency service with jobs, family obligations, training requirements and personal expenses.
The coalition includes the Association of Fire Districts of the State of New York, New York State Association of Fire Chiefs, County Fire Coordinators’ Association of the State of New York and Long Island fire service legislative advocates.
Their criticism comes after legislation addressing nominal compensation failed to advance before the end of this year’s legislative session. A proposal had sponsorship in the state Assembly as A10630, according to the organizations, while a similar Senate measure did not advance in time.
The coalition says it intends to return to Albany next year and continue pushing for legislation.
At the center of the debate is whether New York should give municipalities and fire districts the option to provide limited payments or reimbursements to volunteer firefighters without fundamentally converting those departments into paid operations.
Supporters argue the change could help remove some of the financial and time-related barriers that make it difficult for people to join or remain in volunteer departments.
Recruitment and retention drive the debate
Volunteer fire departments remain a central part of emergency response across much of Upstate New York, particularly in rural and suburban communities where fully paid departments are financially impractical.
But fire service organizations have repeatedly warned that the pool of available volunteers has been shrinking.
The coalition cited a 2020 survey by the County Fire Coordinators’ Association that identified lack of time as the primary reason for declining volunteer participation.
Modern volunteers may be responsible for emergency calls, extensive training, meetings, fundraising, public education and department operations while also maintaining regular employment and family responsibilities.
They may also absorb expenses associated with fuel, vehicle use, childcare, food, clothing and other costs connected to their service.
Nominal compensation is intended to offset some of that burden rather than replace traditional volunteer service with conventional salaries.
The proposal would not require every department to pay volunteers. Instead, supporters want state law changed so local governments and fire districts could decide whether compensation makes sense based on local staffing needs and finances.
The coalition argues that distinction is important in a state where responsibility for providing and funding fire and emergency medical services generally rests with local governments.
Fire organizations trade competing views
The disagreement has become increasingly public.
The coalition said FASNY was invited to meetings while the nominal compensation proposal was being developed but gave inconsistent signals about whether it would support the legislation.
According to the Fire Chiefs Association’s account, FASNY at various points opposed the proposal, agreed to support an amended version and later returned to opposition.
Those are claims made by the coalition. The statement provided by the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs does not include a response from FASNY to the latest criticism.
The coalition also disputes how FASNY has characterized its role in the legislative discussions and criticized an article published in the July-August edition of FASNY’s The Volunteer Firefighter magazine, saying it did not accurately reflect negotiations over the proposal.
Coalition members further criticized FASNY’s recently released 14-point plan addressing challenges in the volunteer fire service because nominal compensation was not included.
The groups contend FASNY’s leadership ultimately pushed lawmakers to tie the proposal to state funding, helping stall the measure late in the legislative session.
The coalition’s preferred approach was to first authorize local governments to offer compensation and then seek state funding during a future budget process.
FASNY’s position, as described by the coalition, was that state financial support should accompany the policy so departments across New York would have the ability to participate rather than limiting the option to communities capable of funding it locally.
That disagreement reflects one of the central policy questions surrounding the proposal: whether nominal compensation should simply become another tool available to municipalities or whether New York should provide funding to make the option broadly accessible.
Debate comes as costs rise for local fire districts
The argument is unfolding as fire districts face broader financial pressure.
A report released this week by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found 31.5% of New York fire districts reported plans to override the property tax cap for fiscal 2026, up substantially from 18.6% in 2022.
Fire districts rely heavily on property taxes and generally received little of the pandemic-era financial assistance that helped support other local governments.
Personnel costs are also rising. The comptroller’s office reported that fire district salary spending increased at an annualized rate of 7.6% between 2019 and 2025.
At the same time, statewide volunteer firefighter ranks have declined by roughly one-third over the past two decades while call volumes have increased, according to figures cited by the comptroller.
That creates a difficult equation for communities dependent on volunteer departments.
If fewer residents are able or willing to volunteer, departments can either attempt to recruit more aggressively, provide additional incentives or move toward greater reliance on paid staffing — typically the most expensive option.
Nominal compensation is being promoted as another possibility between those two models.
Fight expected to return to Albany
The coalition says it doesn’t believe every community needs to compensate volunteer firefighters.
Instead, the organizations want Albany to remove the legal barrier and leave the decision to the local governments responsible for operating and funding emergency services.
Supporters say a rural department struggling to staff daytime calls may make a different choice than a department with a stable volunteer roster, and state law should allow both to respond accordingly.
The dispute over how to accomplish that is unlikely to end with this year’s failed legislation.
The Fire Chiefs Association and its partners say they’ll renew the push when lawmakers return next year, putting the question back before the Legislature: whether New York’s traditional volunteer fire service can remain viable under its current model, or whether keeping people in the firehouse will increasingly require communities to compensate them for some of the time and costs that come with answering the call.
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