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Thread: Volunteer to get paid ????????????

  1. #1
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    Volunteer to get paid ????????????

    Just wonder if anyone truly "Volunteers" any more ?

    The Lancaster "Volunteer" Ambulance Company is no longer pretending to be free or unpaid.

    Do "Volunteer" Fire Fighters get paid ? Do pension credits count as "Pay" - who pays for that ?

    I believe I recently read that Fire Chiefs not only get a free vehicle - they also get free fuel - also I believe I read a Lancaster Fire Chief receives a "Stipend" of around $5000.00 dollars a year - who pays for that ?

    For years we heard the word "Volunteer" as a description for a person or persons who give their time and receive no money for their time. They do it for their community or as a matter of family pride.


    I wonder if our new Supervisor will endeavor to make public those positions that the Town Tax Payers contribute to - whether "Part time" or "Volunteer" - if its tax funded can we get a list of these positions ? Or is it because they recieve a "Stipend" they arent counted as "Town Employees" -


    Just wondering what happened to volunteering?
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

  2. #2
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    Fire Dept

    Take a look at your tax bill and see how much you pay for a volunteer fire company. The amount of money spent on these volunteers is criminal!!! Look at Twin Village Fire district they are always doing capital improvements , everyone is asked to cut back but do the fire companies? I routinley see Fire Chiefs andf there families driving around town using tax payer paid for gas to go to Wal-Mart or Applebees, I dont think thats what the vehicles are intended for. Leave the cars at the station and drive your personal vehicle to pick up your Chiefs car if thats what you need. Its way over due that someone needs to take a look at the way these companies are spending tax payer dollars , I say consolidate and do it soon.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stick View Post
    Take a look at your tax bill and see how much you pay for a volunteer fire company. The amount of money spent on these volunteers is criminal!!! Look at Twin Village Fire district they are always doing capital improvements , everyone is asked to cut back but do the fire companies? I routinley see Fire Chiefs andf there families driving around town using tax payer paid for gas to go to Wal-Mart or Applebees, I dont think thats what the vehicles are intended for. Leave the cars at the station and drive your personal vehicle to pick up your Chiefs car if thats what you need. Its way over due that someone needs to take a look at the way these companies are spending tax payer dollars , I say consolidate and do it soon.
    You really don't know what you are talking about.

  4. #4
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by SafeWNY View Post
    You really don't know what you are talking about.
    I think he is correct about the tax bill. There is a fee charged of $300+ at least on our tax bill that is itemized as fire protection.

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    Sorry Res - that's not what I meant. I meant that the poster really has no idea how the fire service works if they make statements like "leave the cars at the station". I agree that there should be more oversight and scrutiny over certain departments, but know your facts on how a volunteer fire company operates before you make blanket statements about waste. There is a good reason why a chief officer has a vehicle and is allowed to operate it like they do. Most companies (I say most because I can't unequivocally say "all") do not pay for 100% of the fuel for the chief vehicles.
    I volunteered for years, and got out of it because of the politics. But, having the inside knowledge is key - knowing that certain things may appear to be wasteful on the surface, but truly aren't.

  6. #6
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    Ripping up the concrete in front of the twin district firehall for the second time in the past few years seems quite wasteful. Anyone know what's going on with that?

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    Quote Originally Posted by SafeWNY View Post
    Sorry Res - that's not what I meant. I meant that the poster really has no idea how the fire service works if they make statements like "leave the cars at the station". I agree that there should be more oversight and scrutiny over certain departments, but know your facts on how a volunteer fire company operates before you make blanket statements about waste. There is a good reason why a chief officer has a vehicle and is allowed to operate it like they do. Most companies (I say most because I can't unequivocally say "all") do not pay for 100% of the fuel for the chief vehicles.
    I volunteered for years, and got out of it because of the politics. But, having the inside knowledge is key - knowing that certain things may appear to be wasteful on the surface, but truly aren't.
    exactly
    volunteer's are always on call 24/7

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by reformthi$ View Post
    exactly
    volunteer's are always on call 24/7
    It's not even about that - the equipment that is needed for any piece of fire apparatus is unreal. A typical chief's vehicle has, at minimum, the following:

    Removable equipment:
    *set of turnout gear with helmet
    *Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
    *EMS Bag
    *Oxygen cylinder
    *Defibrillator
    *Clipboard
    *Emergency Response Binder


    Installed Equipment
    *Lightbar
    *Siren
    *Light Control Box
    *Siren Control Box
    *Fire Radio (at least 1 - depending on the company)
    *Portable Radio Charger

    The volunteer fire service is designed to have chiefs act as the initial responders so that the incident can be assessed and management of the incident started while the rest of the volunteers man the apparatus. In years past, the chief's used their private vehicles (and still do in a lot of cases) and essentially ruined their vehicles. Plus, the insurance company had a nasty habit of either jacking the rates or cancelling the insurance of anyone who was found to be using their vehicle in that capacity.

    Now before anyone says that paid fire services don't have a chief as the first responder, the major difference is that a paid engine or rescue company will have a senior ranking member on the 1st in unit, who acts as the Incident Commander prior to the arrival of someone of higher rank.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by SafeWNY View Post
    It's not even about that - the equipment that is needed for any piece of fire apparatus is unreal. A typical chief's vehicle has, at minimum, the following:

    Removable equipment:
    *set of turnout gear with helmet
    *Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
    *EMS Bag
    *Oxygen cylinder
    *Defibrillator
    *Clipboard
    *Emergency Response Binder


    Installed Equipment
    *Lightbar
    *Siren
    *Light Control Box
    *Siren Control Box
    *Fire Radio (at least 1 - depending on the company)
    *Portable Radio Charger

    The volunteer fire service is designed to have chiefs act as the initial responders so that the incident can be assessed and management of the incident started while the rest of the volunteers man the apparatus. In years past, the chief's used their private vehicles (and still do in a lot of cases) and essentially ruined their vehicles. Plus, the insurance company had a nasty habit of either jacking the rates or cancelling the insurance of anyone who was found to be using their vehicle in that capacity.

    Now before anyone says that paid fire services don't have a chief as the first responder, the major difference is that a paid engine or rescue company will have a senior ranking member on the 1st in unit, who acts as the Incident Commander prior to the arrival of someone of higher rank.
    Wednesday, I was walking my dog down Broadway. I heard sirens and looked for the vehicles. They were the Chiefs of both village fire departments heading to an emergency. A very short while after, a couple (don't remember how many) police cars, with sirens blaring headed in the same direction. Shortly after that, the fire & emergency trucks followed. Based on what I saw, the chiefs went first.

    To me, the tax cost is like an extra insurance policy. Your house, car, garage, self catches on fire (Self? Spontaneous Combustion, Hey you never know.) The fire company comes and puts it out.

    Is the equipment expensive? What specialized equipment isn't.

    Regarding the beer bashes, etc., I'll reach into my pocket and buy them all a beer because those volunteers are worth it.

  10. #10
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    I agree...There are a lot of ways that belts can (and should) be tightened - more so with the Amherst and Clarence companies- but leave the equipment and such alone. Lives truly depend on the quality of it.

    I remember years back when a Clarence company purchased a small bus. That's the kind of waste that needs to be eliminated. Also, there is no need for over the top stations, like you see with Snyder, East Amherst, Harris Hill, etc...

  11. #11
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    OK - so we don't mind the $30,000.00 plus tax funded vehicle!
    We also don't mind seeing these vehicles used for family transportation.
    We don't care that they are paid for with home owners tax dollars.
    We understand that tax funded pension credits are included.
    We feel its part of the deal that insurance and maintenance is tax funded.
    Tax funded fuel is a necessity.
    The $5000.00 a year tax funded stipend is Meir Penny's.

    Many of us just cant seem to see it all being labeled "Volunteer"
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SafeWNY View Post
    Also, there is no need for over the top stations, like you see with Snyder, East Amherst, Harris Hill, etc...

    ...Twin District...

  13. #13
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    I would like to start out by stating I'm not a volunteer of any of these services but just offering my thought on topic. Many people in lancaster are paid servants of system in the County, City of Buffalo, the State , and country. We work as PAID fire-people , medical assistants of some source , and do a good job. and after sometime we retire with a health pension and insurance for life. BUT piss and moan about the volunteers in the community. People if we paid for the services we get from the Volunteers are taxes would be out of range for me and my families that live in Lancaster Just think about it. I will pay my taxes and have the knowledge that I'm safe in OUR community. Sometimes we have to over look the fact that we live in a community, that is not perfect but pretty Damn good to live in !!!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. #14
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    People if we paid for the services we get from the Volunteers are taxes would be out of range for me and my families that live in Lancaster Just think about it.
    You fail to mention that is happening now to families because of current labor contracts and un-realistic bene's.

    http://www.city-data.com/city/Lancaster-New-York.html

    Population change since 2000: -7.5%

    They voted with their feet.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by yaksplat View Post
    Ripping up the concrete in front of the twin district firehall for the second time in the past few years seems quite wasteful. Anyone know what's going on with that?
    Yak,

    I am fairly certain that they are installing heated concrete in front of the fire hall.

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