Previously Published in The Messenger
By Hank Russell
At last month’s General Meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature, all eighteen legislators unanimously approved a bill that would require developers and builders to include units earmarked for volunteer Fire and EMS personnel at discounted rates. The bill, sponsored by Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue), who is also a member of EMS personnel, was signed by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) at the Brookhaven Fire Department in Brookhaven hamlet on Tuesday morning. Thorne says that handling the housing crisis requires a joint effort between federal, state, and municipal partners.
The bill requires any new affordable housing developments that receive County subsidies for “workforce housing” must set aside at least five units, or 10%, of the property’s total housing stock, whichever is less, for volunteer fire and EMS personnel.
The move comes at a time when Suffolk’s median single-family home price recently eclipsed $700,000 for the first time.
“As our population grows, the need for housing grows, but the need for EMS and fire grows exponentially. This is one step in making sure that the local firefighter is local and can get to their firehouse and respond to the emergencies that we have every day,” said Thorne, adding that the some 11,000 volunteers answer over 600 calls per day.
“We will always make sure they have the resources necessary and the location and the housing necessary to continue to save the taxpayers of this county billions of dollars with their volunteer service,” added Thorne.
Executive Romaine believes the bill will help alleviate some housing concerns and keep EMS personnel close to their stations to better serve their communities. He also addressed some concerns about the plan; however, he says that creating “too many categories for affordable housing” isn’t the issue in play here.
“We are helping our firefighters and EMS workers, and we are committed to provide more affordable housing, whatever it takes,” said Romaine, adding he hopes the state and federal governments will follow the lead.
The bill will help volunteers who stock the 109 volunteer fire departments across Suffolk County, as well as over twenty EMS units. “This [bill] only starts the beginning of our efforts,” said Romaine.
Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services (FRES) Commissioner Rudy Sunderman shared that Suffolk’s 11,000 volunteers make up a decent percentage of the statewide total – approximately 80,000.
“Legislation that will offer financial support for volunteer personnel, such as this affordable housing bill and other incentives, such as property tax relief, is critical to aid in development and increase our recruitment and retention efforts,” said Sunderman.
Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) President Eugene Perry, of Patchogue, commended the Legislature for shepherding the bill to Romaine’s desk.
“I travel this state and speak to many different fire organizations, and one thing that comes up all the time is affordability in their area,” said Perry. “It’s very difficult for a young person to be able to afford to stay in their community and be able to volunteer. I’m going to bring this to our FASNY legislative committee to see if there’s a way we can do this statewide.”
Perry adds that FASNY’s economic impact study conducted last year shows that the volunteer fire service saves the state $6.4 billion in salaries and benefits. He says that a career fire service in Suffolk County would raise taxes “anywhere from 6 to 100%.”
Brookhaven [hamlet] Fire Department Peter of DiPinto Commissioner echoed claims recruitment and retention improvement due to this bill.
Romaine promptly signed the legislation. Thorne was joined by Suffolk County Legislators Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches), Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), and Rebecca Sanin (D-Huntington Station), as well as Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset), himself a member of the Nesconset Fire Department for nearly fifty years. Representatives for Legislators Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead), Nick Caracappa (C-Selden), and Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point) were also present.
“We have a residency requirement [for applicants to benefit from the bill],” Thorne told The Messenger. “It’s wildly important to do that because we cannot build up one department by stripping another. The development must be in the district where you’ve already been a fire or EMS worker.”
The requirement’s necessity not only keeps personnel close to their home stations for quick call responses, but also prevents personnel from finding affordable units in other neighborhoods, especially those where housing affordability might be much different from their home fire or EMS company.
While the bill applies to rentable units, Thorne says that applying personnel will also be qualified for other housing programs the County offers. This bill would likely complement other workforce housing bills recently signed into law as well as the first-time homebuyer assistance program, one of which was earmarked for fire and EMS personnel by Legislator Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) in autumn 2023.