Stipends for volunteer firefighter training are being expanded by New York State.
The New York’s Volunteer Firefighter Training Stipend program is expanding to offset costs for five additional training courses available to volunteer firefighters. The state created the program to strengthen the volunteer fire service and address recruitment and retention challenges by offsetting the costs of required training that individuals need to become a firefighter. This expansion will help reduce obstacles preventing volunteer firefighters from advancing their careers. Since 2023, more than 4,000 volunteer firefighters have successfully completed training through the program.
The new stipend-eligible courses and course equivalencies are:
– Firefighter Survival: Self Rescue: This course teaches firefighters how to rescue themselves if they become trapped or compromised during a fire incident. Stipend Amount: $250
– Firefighter Assist and Search Team, and Rapid Intervention Crew: These courses are designed to train firefighters in the critical skills needed to rescue fellow firefighters who are trapped or in distress during an incident. Stipend Amount: $350
– Fire and Emergency Services Instructor 1, Fire Officer II, and Firefighter 2: These courses are advanced leadership and instructor development programs. They aim to enhance the leadership capabilities of fire department members and improve their effectiveness in incident command roles, ultimately contributing to the safety of firefighters. Stipend Amount: $500
These five courses build on the catalog of trainings that are already stipend-eligible: Basic Wildland Fire Suppression ($250) Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations ($750), Fire Officer 1 ($1,000) and Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus/Interior Firefighting Operations ($1,250).
Since the inception of the stipend program, completion of the Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations, and Interior Firefighting Operations courses have increased by 20 percent and completion of the Fire Officer I course has risen 35 percent.
Additionally, a local fire training stipend may be authorized for the completion of any state Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) training course or equivalent, as determined by OFPC, up to $500. Courses must have been completed on or after August 31, 2023, and applicants must be a member in good standing as determined by their department. Stipend applications must be submitted to OFPC-Stipend@dhses.ny.gov.
Additional information on the stipend program can be found on the DHSES website.
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