The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) released a plan to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters amid a decrease in recruitments.

Last week, the 100-year-old Floral Park Centre Fire Company had to close its doors because of a lack of volunteer firefighters.

“The call volume is going up, the amount of fires we are responding to is going up, and the recruitment and the retention has been going the other way,” says Valley Stream Fire Chief Anthony Capone.

FASNY says volunteers provide more than 80% of fire service in New York and save taxpayers nearly $4 billion per year. However, cost of living, time commitment, and increased training requirements often act as barriers.

There are 14 components of the proposed FASNY Volunteer Optimization Legislative Initiative (VOLI), including increased tax credits, housing affordability, employer tax incentives, and public service loan forgiveness.

“We realized that we were, at best, holding our ground. We were just bringing in almost as many as we were losing every year,” says FASNY Association Secretary John D’Alessandro. “Whatever the cost of these 14 initiatives, when you put them in comparison to the $4 billion the volunteer fire service saves the residents, it's really not a cost. It's an investment.”

The proposal now needs support from the legislature and governor to move forward.