FASNY asks public to testify against proposed OSHA regulations Carina Dominguez — NEWS10 ABC

A firefighter’s association has sounded the alarm around some newly proposed federal regulations. NEWS10 spoke with local volunteer firefighters about what those changes would mean for them and taxpayers.

ELSMERE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A firefighter’s association has sounded the alarm around newly proposed federal regulations. NEWS10 spoke with local volunteer firefighters about what those changes would mean for them and taxpayers. 

OSHA’s Fire Brigade standard went into effect in 1980. Earlier this year the administration proposed updates to those rules and initiated its emergency response rulemaking.

The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) said it would fundamentally change how volunteer fire services operate nationwide.

“The volunteer fire service was not talked to ahead of time when OSHA did this. They sat with stakeholders from the paid fire service, from apparatus and equipment manufacturers. But New York’s volunteer fire service – which is the largest in the country – was not asked,” said FASNY’s General Counsel Tim Hannigan.

On its website, OSHA said the updates were necessary because emergency response and preparedness standards are outdated and incomplete. 

Some of those changes would include updates to personnel training and equipment, and would increase the responsibilities on the administrative end, Hannigan said, adding “it’s going to create added costs just to comply.”

He said it would increase costs of equipment and suggests those changes be phased in over time.

“Dropping this immediately on the volunteer fire service would be financially ruinous for the tax payers of the state that already benefit from the free labor force that volunteers provide,” said Hannigan.

Hannigan is a full-time attorney and volunteer firefighter. He takes issue with them not having a seat at the table, from the beginning, to talk about the impacts those changes would have on volunteers and taxpayers.

“The Capital Region is very reliant, I’d say heavily reliant on volunteer firefighters. Outside of the cities of Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs and Watervliet, with the exception of some combination of departments, it’s generally volunteer firefighters. So your neighbors responding to fellow neighbors across the Capital Region,” said Hannigan.

He said the new rules would create administrative red tape on people already volunteering their free time. 

“The proposed regulations from OSHA would far increase those obligations, and you’re talking increasing those obligations on a volunteer chief or a volunteer officer who works a full-time job, who has a family at home, who’s already giving up plenty of their time just to respond to calls to help their community. It’s that part of that, that administrative function, that needs to be retooled and reconfigured for the volunteer fire service,” said Hannigan.

That’s why he’s urging the public to jump into action for them. 

“What we’re doing is telling OSHA that these rules are not it. This is not what our community needs. And our communities can’t bear the additional tax burden that these rules are going to ask and impose upon them,” said Hannigan.

He said some promising news came last week, when OSHA issued a statement acknowledging that the agency had received an overwhelming response from volunteer fire service providers across the country and are now considering a blanket exemption because of that. 

Hannigan called it “music to our ears”. He said OSHA could exempt volunteer firefighters from the new rules but it’s critical the public signs up to give testimony at the virtual public hearing on November 12.

“The work is not done. I think a significant battle was won, but we need people to sign up to participate, to tell OSHA directly that New York’s volunteer fire service should be exempted from these regulations,” said Hannigan. “Go to FASNY.com. Sign up to tell OSHA that New York’s volunteer fire service should be exempted in full from these proposed regulations.”

The deadline to sign up is Friday, September 27.

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