Craig Fox
Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
(TNS)
Aug. 8—WATERTOWN — Watertown Fire Commissioner Warren Day is convinced that the future of small, rural volunteer fire departments is at stake if proposed federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations go into effect.
At a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Claudia L. Tenney, R-Cleveland, brought in officials from about eight local volunteer fire departments to express their opposition to the proposed rules.
Calling it a “one-size-fits-all” approach, Tenney said the proposed changes to the OSHA Fire Brigade Standard will impact all fire departments — volunteer, combination, and paid — across New York and the country.
The 608-page document would incorporate costly health and safety standard mandates and expose municipal fire departments to litigation and costly settlements, those in attendance said Thursday.
If signed into law, departments would need to upgrade training programs with more one-time and annual training on handling emergency cases with more detailed records and reports on their operations.
“This rule could cause the end of volunteer fire departments, which would impact our public safety gravely,” Tenney said.
Concerns on Thursday focused mostly on costs associated with the new requirements. Tenney even said that the changes could cost some departments more than their total yearly budget.
Under the regulations, volunteer fire departments could not operate with fire trucks that are more than 15 years old. Typically, the apparatus costs between $800,000 and $1.5 million, with some districts still paying for loans on their equipment, she said.
Assemblymen Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, and Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River, have been vocal state legislators fighting against the new OSHA laws.
“These requirements will decimate rural firefighting as we know it. These rules will not be paid for by chicken barbecues,” Gray said.
All the fire departments in Blankenbush’s 117th Assembly District will be affected by the changes, he said.
Watertown Fire Department Assistant Chief Fred Sourwine envisions the number of firefighters will dwindle.
“We’re going to lose members,” he said. “We have a hard time to recruit as it is.”
Tenney hopes to stop the OSHA rules to get them amended, so they don’t impact fire departments as much.
She also said that even though the public comment period ended last month, there’s still time. A virtual public hearing will be held on Nov. 12 to take testimony about the OSHA regulations, she said.
Letters were written by bipartisan groups in Congress and the state Assembly opposing the regulations, she said.
Unless something changes, the new rules could take effect early next year.
The Firefighters Association of the State of New York and organizations representing counties, towns and cities across the state have come out against the new regulations.
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