For years I have been saying that health insurance could provide a powerful tool for the recruitment and retention of volunteers — and the state of New York has taken a great step in the right direction recently. With the number of volunteer firefighters declining, state lawmakers approved legislation last month to make them eligible for low-cost municipal health insurance.
This bill, which was passed by both the N.Y. House and Senate, would allow volunteers — fire and EMS — to "buy-in" on municipal plans. These usually have better coverage at a lower price than private insurance plans. Sadly, the first I heard of this bill came when I received an e-mail from Michael P. Wutz, president of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York, saying there was the potential for a governor's veto.
It is unfortunate that such a great idea may be torpedoed by politics before it even has a chance to prove itself and possibly act as a model for the rest of the country. This program would not necessarily cost the municipalities anything, but would allow volunteer members who are uninsured or underinsured to be enrolled in their municipal plan. This is a true benefit to members as it impacts not only the individual member, but potentially their entire family. Programs with family-wide impacts are needed and this program does exactly that.
Great example
I give FASNY credit for its hard work and if you can help them, please do. Every member of the N.Y. fire and EMS service needs to get behind this effort and it does not take much. Getting involved in the political process has become somewhat of a buzz word recently, but we need to all work at the local, state and federal level to make sure our interests are protected and this is one great example.
Most rank and file firefighters may not be aware of the fact, but groups such as FASNY, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Congressional Fire Services Institute have been fighting for us behind the scenes for years. Unfortunately the process is slow most of the time and when action is needed it is needed now!
New York's bill for health insurance was introduced last year and did not make it to a vote. This is not a failure as it probably set the field for the bill's passage this year. It is so close it would be a shame if it fails now, but members tend to ignore these calls to action and figure someone else will call the governor, representatives, senators or whoever is making the decision. The problem is that it is a game of numbers as each call or letter is another voter — and voters decide if our government keeps its job.
This bill helps both fire and EMS and we all need to help. There are issues that may help just one side or the other, but we still need to work together. These issues arise at both the state and federal level and it is every member's responsibility to be aware of them and respond to calls to action such as the one by FASNY.
On the EMS side, Advocates for EMS is spearheading the effort to create a robust EMS caucus. This caucus will help to establish a base of representatives at the federal level for promoting issues important to EMS. At this point the caucus needs members and we all need to ask our state representatives to join and support EMS. Advocates for EMS can help you with talking points and would love to hear from you.
No matter what issues are important to you, the services as a whole, both fire and EMS, need your support. Proactive activities such as these can help save the volunteer services.
