By Stacey Altherr
Newsday (New York)
Copyright 2007 Newsday, Inc.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy joined members of the Brentwood Fire District yesterday to kick off the department’s newest recruiting campaign and to ask residents to join the ranks of volunteers there and across Long Island.
Television and radio ads for the Brentwood Fire Department, the busiest department in Suffolk, began airing yesterday on cable stations and radio. The TV ad, which features firefighters suited up and at a blaze, will run mostly on youth-oriented channels such as FX, MTV and ESPN. It will also run on The Weather Channel and News12.
In addition, the department said it runs ads in weekly newspapers, including Spanish-language papers, to encourage diversification in the department. Brentwood Assistant Chief John Carney said more minorities have joined the department since the ads started two years ago.
Of 160 active members in the department, Carney said about 40 have joined since that ad campaign began yesterday.
According to Carney, the new ads cost about $13,000, and the department pays about $2,000 a month to a public relations firm focusing on recruitment and public safety.
Both Levy and Carney said volunteerism saves the community millions of dollars a year. Carney said volunteer firefighters in Brentwood cost $29 million a year less than a paid staff would - about $1,572 per resident.
Levy said paid firefighters countywide would cost $626 million a year, according to a study by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York. The same report said Nassau County residents would pay $717 million for paid firefighters.
“We should never, ever, ever take for granted the amazing dedication that is exhibited every day by our volunteer fire and ambulance workers,” Levy said. “They not only keep us safe, but they save us a fortune. “
More volunteers also could improve response times, 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.
Brentwood is conducting an internal investigation into its response time to a Feb. 2 fire in which three people died. The time was almost 13 minutes - four minutes longer than national standards.
Levy pointed out that in Suffolk volunteers get certain incentives to join and stay in the ranks, including a 10 percent reduction on property taxes, partial tuition reimbursement and a state pension. While Levy said it’s a cost to the community, it’s much less than a paid staff and necessary to recruit and retain members. “It’s getting harder and harder to retain the volunteers that we have and bring in more recruits.”