FASNY kicks off 14th annual RecruitNY campaign

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Firefighters Association of the State of New York is kicking off its 14th Annual RecruitNY Campaign in an effort to boost the number of volunteer firefighters.

"Unfortunately, over the last 20 to 25 years, we've seen a significant decline in the number of people becoming volunteer firefighters and EMS responders," said FASNY Secretary John D'Alessandro.

D'Alessandro explained this comes at a time where the number of calls and complexity of calls to which volunteer departments respond has increased.

"Back in the early 2000s, there were about 120,000 volunteers across New York. We're down to somewhere between 75,000 and 80,000 now," D'Alessandro said.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you can visit an open house April 13th and 14th being held at firehouses across the Capital District.