Here<\/a><\/p>\nA new statewide survey shows overwhelming, bipartisan support for quadrupling New York\u2019s volunteer firefighter and ambulance worker tax credit as volunteers across the state urge Governor Kathy Hochul to continue her long, storied support for volunteers by signing the bill.<\/p>\n
S.6233-A\/A.6790-A, sponsored by State Senator Monica Martinez and Assemblymember Karen McMahon, has been a long time priority for the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) as well as for every volunteer fire service organization across the state, and it passed both the State Senate and Assembly this session with bipartisan support. It would raise the credit from $200 to $800 a year \u2014 the first increase since it was created two decades ago. In the poll, conducted by Moxie Strategies among 813 New York voters from July 22\u201328, 87% support the increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cLawmakers came together, Democrats and Republicans alike, because they heard what this poll shows: volunteer firefighters and EMS workers are stretched thin,\u201d said Donald\u00a0 Farrell, President of FASNY. \u201cNow it\u2019s Governor Hochul\u2019s turn. We\u2019re grateful for her partnership on so many issues affecting our first responders, and we\u2019re simply asking her to take this deserved and necessary step. New Yorkers are ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support crosses party, region, and age demographics, which is a reflection of how closely New Yorkers identify with their local volunteer fire departments, covering more than 80% of the state\u2019s geography. 77% of voters view their local department favorably, and 78% view volunteer firefighters favorably overall.<\/p>\n
Beyond the tax credit itself, voters also recognize the strain on departments, the value they bring to New York communities, and the support they deserve:<\/p>\n
68% say out-of-pocket costs for gear, fuel, and training discourage volunteering
\n66% say departments lack enough volunteers to answer every call
\n91% agreed that supporting volunteers through an expanded tax credit ensures every community gets the emergency service it deserves
\n88% cite state savings of $4 billion a year as a good reason to expand the tax credit
\n92% support giving volunteers injured in the line of duty the same benefits provided under workers\u2019 compensation law<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tax credit expansion is basic fairness for the more than 80,000 volunteers who run toward emergencies while balancing careers and families,\u201d said FASNY Secretary John D\u2019Alessandro. \u201cThe Legislature showed what\u2019s possible when both parties work together. We\u2019re hopeful the Governor will meet that same spirit with her signature this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
About the Survey<\/p>\n
This survey of 813 New York voters was conducted July 22\u201328, 2026, by Moxie Strategies via live phone interviews and texts. Results are significant within \u00b14.3 percentage points, weighted to the state\u2019s registered voter population by gender, age, race\/ethnicity, education, region, and party.<\/p>\n
It also found Hochul leading Republican Bruce Blakeman 49% to 37% in New York\u2019s 2026 gubernatorial contest, with her approval split narrowly 46%-51%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Firefighters Association of the State of New York | September 18, 2026 87% of New Yorkers Across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-350444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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