Assemblyman John Mikulin (R,C,I-Bethpage) is pleased to announce the Assembly Minority Conference has introduced a bill which would provide financial aid to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who have been working day in and day out to combat the COVID-19 crisis. The conference has also sent a letter to the president and the congressional delegation of NYS to request funding to help cover the high costs of acquiring equipment to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is important we provide relief to those who are volunteering their lives on a daily basis amid this pandemic in order to help keep them going,” said Mikulin. “Without the hard work and dedication of volunteer firefighter and EMS personnel, we would be in worse shape than we already are. It is also important to note that the departments they work for almost exclusively rely on donations and fundraising to function, both of which are extremely difficult to do during this time. I hope that my colleagues in the state legislature and on a federal level will join us in providing this much-needed relief.”

The proposed legislation calls for the federal reimbursement of personal protective equipment (PPE) and for federal aid to be given to first responders who are placed under quarantine due to exposure to COVID-19 or who lost wages due to primary jobs being closed. Also proposed is the New York State Volunteer Fire Protection Emergency Reimbursement Account which would help volunteer fire companies, departments, districts and EMS receive reimbursement for expenses accrued due to the procurement of PPE or revenues which were lost due to cuts to the municipal budget or restrictions on fundraising efforts due to COVID-19.

Find the letter here.