Bill to secure affordable housing for Suffolk County volunteer first responders a win-win, lawmaker says
Volunteer firefighters from multiple departments at the scene of a fire in a detached garage in East Patchogue in February 2021. A Suffolk County legislator looks to maintain a healthy roster of volunteer firefighters through a bill that would prioritze them for affordable housing. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
A proposed Suffolk County law aims to boost the ranks of volunteer fire and EMS departments through a new housing incentive.
The bill introduced by Legis. Rebecca Sanin (D-Huntington Station) requires any new affordable developments that receive county workforce housing funding to set aside at least five units or 10% of the property's total number of apartments, whichever is less, for volunteer firefighters and EMS workers. Sanin said the goal is to help the departments retain younger volunteers at a time when home prices continue rising.
The legislation mirrors a similar Republican-sponsored bill signed into law in 2023 under Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone's administration that requires units set aside for veterans and people with intellectual disabilities. Sanin hopes the measure would be one tool to help solve the struggle she's heard from fire and EMS officials in her district: retaining new recruits.
"They’d leave because they needed to go somewhere where they could afford to live," she said in an interview.
The Democratic Caucus backs the measure, but Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) said in an interview he believes the bill still needs tweaks and questions answered about the legality. He said he's taking a "wait and see attitude toward it."
He said the bill differs from current law for veterans and people with intellectual disabilities since a firefighter or EMS worker can decide to leave the profession. And he said some of those units set for a specific classification would be hard to fill.
"We’re committed to doing something and we just got to make sure that we can get it done the right way," he said.
The proposed bill, which has been the subject of two public hearings, has gotten support from the county’s Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission, Fire Chiefs Council of Suffolk County and the statewide Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
Some fair housing advocates, however, have criticized the idea of setting residential preferences that can potentially exclude protected classes over firefighters under fair housing laws.
More than 11,000 volunteer firefighter and EMS personnel are currently serving across the county’s 109 fire departments and 27 ambulance corps, according to Gerard Turza Jr., chairman of the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, who recently testified at a hearing on the issue. At another hearing in March, Michael Barry, president of the Suffolk County Fire Chiefs Council, estimated the average age of volunteers is around 45-55.
Newsday reported earlier this year how Suffolk County’s population is graying with an increased percentage of households that include one individual who is 65 or older while the percentage of households with individuals under 18 is declining, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Meanwhile, Newsday reported this month the median sales price in Suffolk County reached $680,000 for January, a record high and an increase of 13.3% compared to the prior year’s month.
"Affordability on Long Island is a big issue that is having a huge impact on all families, and quite frankly, if we didn't have a volunteer force, our affordability issues would be significantly worse as a region," Sanin said.
In crafting the bill, Sanin said she looked at initiatives approved at the town level in Huntington, Babylon and Southold that provide first responders preference to buy or rent affordable housing.
Suffolk County has contributed funding toward 1,064 affordable units created between 2018 and 2024, according to the county. Affordable housing in the county is available to residents who meet income guidelines based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development area median incomes, according to county code.
Statewide, the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped from about 120,000 in the early 2000s to around 75,000 today, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. Turza told legislators the FRES Commission has issued surveys to departments to compile data on the number of local volunteers and their ages.
The proposed bill, cosponsored by Legis. Ann Welker (D-Southampton), underwent revisions since it was first introduced in November to set clearer guidelines for how volunteers can qualify.
A firefighter or EMS volunteer would need at least five years service in the department. After qualifying they would be required to remain in good standing an additional five years. After five years, if the volunteer has totaled 10 years, he or she would no longer be required to verify their status in the department, according to the bill.
Sanin said a lottery system for the application process would determine how units are distributed.
One concern centers on what happens if a volunteer secures housing in a different hamlet than where their current department is. Turza said in an interview the commission views it from a county perspective, so as long as the volunteer is serving somewhere in Suffolk, they see it as a positive.
Melville Fire Department Chief Robert Boyle urged legislators to support the measure, writing in a letter that the program would "ease financial burdens for our members."
Barry said during the public hearing this month that while the average age of volunteers is "good from an experience standpoint, it’s not good for the long-range plans."
Ian Wilder, executive director of the fair-housing nonprofit Long Island Housing Services, said in an interview while firefighters deserve support, the legislation has "problems on a lot of levels" and could run askew of federal fair housing laws.
He said the legislation does not mention whether firefighters and EMTs in the county reflect the general population, meaning it could effectively exclude a protected class.
"Recruitment of firefighters is a huge problem, but I think this is not a solution," he said.
In 2023, the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, published a document that examines recruitment and retention nationwide and outlines a number of challenges without mentioning affordable housing. The challenges ranged from training demands, work-life volunteer balance and unmet expectations for younger volunteers who may not realize the job comes with more routine tasks as opposed to frequent heroics.
The public will likely get another chance to weigh in on the proposed bill at the April 8 legislature meeting.
A proposed Suffolk County law aims to boost the ranks of volunteer fire and EMS departments through a new housing incentive.
The bill introduced by Legis. Rebecca Sanin (D-Huntington Station) requires any new affordable developments that receive county workforce housing funding to set aside at least five units or 10% of the property's total number of apartments, whichever is less, for volunteer firefighters and EMS workers. Sanin said the goal is to help the departments retain younger volunteers at a time when home prices continue rising.
The legislation mirrors a similar Republican-sponsored bill signed into law in 2023 under Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone's administration that requires units set aside for veterans and people with intellectual disabilities. Sanin hopes the measure would be one tool to help solve the struggle she's heard from fire and EMS officials in her district: retaining new recruits.
"They’d leave because they needed to go somewhere where they could afford to live," she said in an interview.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Suffolk County legislation would require units be set aside for firefighters or EMS workers if the development receives county workforce housing funds.
- Fire and EMS officials say retaining younger volunteers is a problem driven by lack of affordable housing.
- Fair housing advocates question whether the measure could unfairly restrict housing from protected classes.
The Democratic Caucus backs the measure, but Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) said in an interview he believes the bill still needs tweaks and questions answered about the legality. He said he's taking a "wait and see attitude toward it."
He said the bill differs from current law for veterans and people with intellectual disabilities since a firefighter or EMS worker can decide to leave the profession. And he said some of those units set for a specific classification would be hard to fill.
"We’re committed to doing something and we just got to make sure that we can get it done the right way," he said.
The proposed bill, which has been the subject of two public hearings, has gotten support from the county’s Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission, Fire Chiefs Council of Suffolk County and the statewide Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
Some fair housing advocates, however, have criticized the idea of setting residential preferences that can potentially exclude protected classes over firefighters under fair housing laws.
Graying population
More than 11,000 volunteer firefighter and EMS personnel are currently serving across the county’s 109 fire departments and 27 ambulance corps, according to Gerard Turza Jr., chairman of the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, who recently testified at a hearing on the issue. At another hearing in March, Michael Barry, president of the Suffolk County Fire Chiefs Council, estimated the average age of volunteers is around 45-55.
Newsday reported earlier this year how Suffolk County’s population is graying with an increased percentage of households that include one individual who is 65 or older while the percentage of households with individuals under 18 is declining, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Meanwhile, Newsday reported this month the median sales price in Suffolk County reached $680,000 for January, a record high and an increase of 13.3% compared to the prior year’s month.
"Affordability on Long Island is a big issue that is having a huge impact on all families, and quite frankly, if we didn't have a volunteer force, our affordability issues would be significantly worse as a region," Sanin said.
In crafting the bill, Sanin said she looked at initiatives approved at the town level in Huntington, Babylon and Southold that provide first responders preference to buy or rent affordable housing.
Suffolk County has contributed funding toward 1,064 affordable units created between 2018 and 2024, according to the county. Affordable housing in the county is available to residents who meet income guidelines based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development area median incomes, according to county code.
Statewide, the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped from about 120,000 in the early 2000s to around 75,000 today, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. Turza told legislators the FRES Commission has issued surveys to departments to compile data on the number of local volunteers and their ages.
The proposed bill, cosponsored by Legis. Ann Welker (D-Southampton), underwent revisions since it was first introduced in November to set clearer guidelines for how volunteers can qualify.
A firefighter or EMS volunteer would need at least five years service in the department. After qualifying they would be required to remain in good standing an additional five years. After five years, if the volunteer has totaled 10 years, he or she would no longer be required to verify their status in the department, according to the bill.
Sanin said a lottery system for the application process would determine how units are distributed.
One concern centers on what happens if a volunteer secures housing in a different hamlet than where their current department is. Turza said in an interview the commission views it from a county perspective, so as long as the volunteer is serving somewhere in Suffolk, they see it as a positive.
Fair housing
Melville Fire Department Chief Robert Boyle urged legislators to support the measure, writing in a letter that the program would "ease financial burdens for our members."
Barry said during the public hearing this month that while the average age of volunteers is "good from an experience standpoint, it’s not good for the long-range plans."
Ian Wilder, executive director of the fair-housing nonprofit Long Island Housing Services, said in an interview while firefighters deserve support, the legislation has "problems on a lot of levels" and could run askew of federal fair housing laws.
He said the legislation does not mention whether firefighters and EMTs in the county reflect the general population, meaning it could effectively exclude a protected class.
"Recruitment of firefighters is a huge problem, but I think this is not a solution," he said.
In 2023, the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, published a document that examines recruitment and retention nationwide and outlines a number of challenges without mentioning affordable housing. The challenges ranged from training demands, work-life volunteer balance and unmet expectations for younger volunteers who may not realize the job comes with more routine tasks as opposed to frequent heroics.
The public will likely get another chance to weigh in on the proposed bill at the April 8 legislature meeting.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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