By Stacey Altherr
Newsday
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — Steve Levy joined members of the Brentwood Fire District on Monday to kick-off the department’s newest recruiting measure and to ask residents to join the ranks of volunteers.
Television and radio ads for the Brentwood Fire Department, the busiest fire department in Suffolk County, start airing Monday on cable stations and radio. The ad, which features firefighters suited up and at a blaze, will run mostly on channels that focus on youth, including FX, MTV and ESPN. It will also run on the Weather Channel and News12.
In addition, the department runs ads in weekly papers, including local Spanish papers to encourage diversification in the department. Carney said they have seen more minorities join the department since the ads started about two years ago.
Brentwood Assistant Chief John Carney said the advertisement blitz cost approximately $13,000. They also hired a public relations company for about $2,000 a month to encourage recruitment and promote public safety in the community.
There are presently 160 volunteer members in the department who are active, but Carney said he would like to see the number around 200. Carney said they have gained about 40 members since the department’s last recruitment advertising campaign began two years ago.
Both Levy and Carney drove home the point that volunteerism saves the community millions of dollars a year. Carney said, for example, volunteer firefighters cost $29 million a year less for the Brentwood community compared to a paid staff, or about $1,572 per resident.
Levy said if the county were to pay for firefighters, it would cost $626 million, according to a Fireman’s Association of the State of New York study.
“We should never, ever, ever take for granted the amazing dedication that is exhibited every day by our volunteer fire and ambulance workers,” said Levy said. “They not only keep us safe, but they save us a fortune.”
Response times are also a factor, according to Carney. “The more people you have in the department hanging around the firehouse, the faster we can get the trucks out,” he said.
Carney added that more members also take the pressure off those who need to respond more often.
Levy pointed out that in Suffolk, volunteers get certain incentives to join and stay in the ranks, including 10 percent reduction on property taxes, partial tuition reimbursement, and a state pension.