File-Photo Falconer firefighters are pictured at the scene of a fire in October. Volunteer fire departments have raised concerns about new federal OSHA standards they say could make it easier to recruit and keep members.

xBEMUS POINT – Randy Apperson, Bemus Point Volunteer Fire Department chief, is among those who gave official federal testimony regarding proposed changes to Fire Brigade Standards set forth by OSHA.

The OHSA hearings started on Nov. 12 and are scheduled to end Dec. 5 at 4:30 p.m. As previously reported in a Nov. 5, Post-Journal article, both across the state and locally, concerns have been raised by volunteer fire departments over new regulawtions that have been proposed by the Department of Labor’s OSHA for first responders drawing the ire of many.

One such individual is Apperson, who briefed the Bemus Point Board of Trustees recently, saying the proposed changes could have long and drawn-out dangerous effects on volunteer fire departments if enacted as it is written.

“There is a bunch of stuff OSHA is proposing that is going to make it very difficult for not only our department, but other paid and volunteer departments as well,” he said. “The requirement for becoming a firefighting officer is almost unattainable, as it is written. In order to become a chief, under the new standards, a person would be required to attend and pass Fire Officer One Course, Firefighter Officer Two Course , Assistant Chief Course and Fire Officer Three Course are just some of the new requirements,” he said. The Assistant Chief course is rarely held – there is only one person in the entire county that has Fire Officer Three certification and he’s a full-time, paid firefighter in the north county.”

Apperson continued by saying that in Chautauqua County there are not many opportunities to attend training, and while the training is paid for, volunteers would be required to take off 40 to 80 hours’ worth of work to attend some of the newly proposed required courses.

“One course is around 63 hours long, and is offered part-time, during a more than four-month time frame,” he said. “Meaning to be a volunteer firefighter officer, you’d need to be a retired person, or if working you’d more than likely must use vacation time. … Just to be a volunteer.”

Echoing some of Apperson’s apprehensions was Gregg Scott, Chautauqua County Emergency Services Battalion 4 coordinator

“The proposed changes will have a dramatic effect on all volunteer fire departments, if passed as proposed. I wrote a letter opposing the changes, asking for a delay to collect more input from the stakeholders,” Scott said in an email.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Fire Administration, there are 27,118 fire departments listed with the National Fire Department Registry. This is 91% of all U.S. fire departments. Furthermore, New York state has the second largest pool of volunteer fire departments in the nation. Pennsylvania has 1,770 volunteer departments; New York state has 1,645, followed by Texas with 1,525.

Rob Galbraith, a representative of the Ripley Hose Company No. 1, said “Included in the new regulations is a significant amount of administration work that Galbraith said would be counterproductive to volunteer fire departments. Also included are changes to required physicals, a significant expected increase in the department’s budget, concerns regarding confidential health files, and other vague language that Galbraith said is a cause for concern, and more.”

Apperson supported Galbraith’s position and stated, “Most volunteer fire departments rule solely on volunteers just like the title implies… volunteer fire department. We don’t have funding for an administrative person like a paid department has.”

To watch the OSHA hearings, visit www.osha.gov/emergency-response/rulemaking, then click on the date and day link, on the right side of the page, under the title of- Hearing Schedule and Daily Viewing Links.

To view a list of speakers and presenters at the OSHA hearings in PDF format visit www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/Emergency_Response_Hearing_Schedule.pdf.