The Peru Gazette

From the office of Assemblyman Billy Jones

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) joined firefighters from the North Country today to announce that he introduced three bills to help volunteer fire departments in their recruitment and retention efforts and make much-needed capital improvements. One bill creates the Volunteer Firefighter Training Fund to help firefighters complete over a hundred hours of required training by providing funding to help cover the costs of travel and missing work. Another bill creates a Volunteer Firefighters Scholarship Program and Fund to assist volunteer firefighters in going to college after eight years of membership. The final bill creates the Volunteer Fire Department Capital Fund to help fire departments make capital improvements, build new stations, and buy new equipment to meet the current standards and recommendations. 

            “Volunteer fire departments across the North Country are there for us when we need them most and we must make sure they not only have the resources and equipment they need to keep us safe, but also the members to respond to these emergencies,” said Jones. “Volunteer firefighters are dedicated members of our community who devote so much of their free time to protect our communities and creating the Training Fund and Scholarship program is one way that we can show our appreciation. With the rising costs of construction, capital projects have also become unobtainable by our local fire departments, and they need this assistance to make sure that they can continue to provide life-saving services. The state needs to invest capital funds in our local fire departments to take the burden from our local taxpayers and local municipalities.” 

            “The Beekmantown Volunteer Fire Department has outgrown the station on Route 22 and is working towards building a new one and this funding will help us tremendously,” said Chief Darryl Menard. “We answer calls across the North Country, including on the Northway, and we need a new facility to house the equipment necessary to respond. I want to thank Assemblyman Jones for visiting the station earlier this year and listening to the issues we are experiencing and coming up with this solution.” 

            “The Champlain Fire Department is also struggling to get the funding needed to build a new fire station approved by voters years ago,” said Commissioner Chris Trombley. “This capital fund would be great news for this project and thank Assemblyman Jones for taking this initiative.” 

            “As volunteer fire departments struggle to recruit and retain new members, the Scholarship and Training Fund will go a long way towards helping districts with membership,” said Scott Ewing, 1^st Vice President of New York State Association of Fire Chiefs. “Capital improvements and new stations will give fire departments something to take pride in, which will also help local fire departments recruit and retain members.