Senate Passes Bill to Honor Fallen Firefighters

State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C, I - Schenectady) announced that he and his colleagues in the New York State Senate recently passed a bill (S.7458) that would ensure the names of firefighters who are killed while performing services in the line of duty be included on the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

The Fallen Firefighters Memorial recognizes those firefighters from throughout the state who made the ultimate sacrifice for their community. The Memorial hosts an annual ceremony that draws firefighters from throughout New York and serves as an occasion for remembrance and healing.

The Senate also passed a bill (S.6368A) that would allow members of volunteer fire departments and volunteer ambulance squads to take an authorized absence from work when they respond to a state of emergency.

This legislation will prevent employers from charging volunteers with vacation, sick leave or other excused absences when there is a state of emergency.

Since 1954, the state of New York has asked FEMA to declare almost 60 major disaster declarations for everything from snowstorms to earthquakes to ice storms. In 2011, New York was hit by Tropical Storm Lee, Hurricane Irene, flooding, tornadoes, snowstorms, and straight-line winds.