Res. No. 753 Title Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 01755, a bill to provide a two hundred dollar personal income tax credit to volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers who have completed all required training courses as required by the state of New York; or, if the Legislature chooses not to pass this bill, it should, at the minimum, grant the City of New York the authority to provide this credit to volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers in New York City. Body By Council Members Nelson, Vallone, Addabbo, Clarke, Fidler, Gennaro, Gerson, Jackson, Liu, Rivera, Serrano, Stewart, Weprin and Brewer Whereas, Volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers provide a valuable life-saving function on a daily basis; and Whereas, It is estimated that these volunteers save New York State taxpayers well in excess of one billion dollars annually; and Whereas, The services provided by these volunteers are necessary for maintaining public safety, and utilizing these services is far less costly than only utilizing the services of paid firefighters and ambulance workers; and Whereas, Although New York City is mostly serviced by the firefighters and emergency medical service providers within the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the FDNY is assisted by ten volunteer fire departments, located in certain residential areas: five departments are in Queens, one is in Brooklyn, two are in the Bronx and two are in Staten Island; and Whereas, Citywide, these ten volunteer fire companies average about 400 volunteers, who provide fire, rescue and emergency medical services to the communities they help protect; and Whereas, These volunteers also assist in disasters outside of their residential neighborhood, as several volunteer departments including Aviation Volunteer Fire Department in the Bronx, Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department in Queens and Richmond Volunteer Fire Department in Staten Island, arrived prior to the collapse of the first tower at the World Trade Center, and assisted in rescue and emergency medical service provision; and Whereas, The City is also fortunate to have several volunteer ambulance services, which include, but are not limited to, the Flatlands Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Bayside Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Middle Village Ambulance Corps, and the Central Park Medical Unit, which provide free medical treatment upon response; and Whereas, These volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers deserve thanks from the people they serve, and a tax credit is certainly an appropriate method for the state to express its appreciation for the important works performed by these volunteers; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 01755, a bill to provide a two hundred dollar personal income tax credit to volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers who have completed all required training courses as required by the state of New York; or, if the Legislature chooses not to pass this bill, it should, at the minimum, grant the City of New York the authority to provide this credit to volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers in New York City. MK LS#2060/2061 |1013|