With a stroke of the pen, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine officially enacted legislation aimed at easing the housing burden for the region’s firefighters and EMS volunteers. The new law, sponsored by Legislator Dominick Thorne and passed unanimously by his Suffolk colleagues, offers targeted housing assistance to emergency service volunteers, with the goal of bolstering recruitment and retention in an increasingly challenging environment.
The signing ceremony, held at the Brookhaven Fire Department, was attended by a broad coalition of supporters from across the emergency services community and county government. Local fire departments, representatives from firefighter associations, and elected officials including Legislators Jim Mazzarella, Jason Richberg, and Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo joined in recognizing the urgent need for solutions to Long Island’s volunteer crisis.
The new law authorizes Suffolk County to work with towns and fire districts to create affordable housing opportunities for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, including access to county-owned properties, tax incentives, and housing preference provisions. Thorne’s legislation is the first of its kind on Long Island and has drawn statewide attention.
“Volunteer firefighters and EMTs are the backbone of our emergency response system,” said County Executive Romaine. “If we don’t act now to help them stay in our communities, we risk losing a public safety system that saves lives every single day.”
Romaine called the bill a “bold and necessary step” to address the dwindling number of volunteers—down from years past amid rising housing costs, demanding time commitments, and an aging membership.
Suffolk’s Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commissioner Rudy Sunderman underscored the stakes: “We handle about 600 emergency calls a day in Suffolk County. That’s 600 calls answered by roughly 11,000 volunteers—a number that continues to decline. This law gives us a fighting chance to reverse that trend.”
Brookhaven firefighter Robert Deshler put the issue in stark personal terms. “Any incentive to keep volunteers is great,” he said. “It’s a huge commitment—time, training, missed holidays. It’s like a second job. And when you’re just starting out, and rent’s $2,500 a month, it’s hard to be a volunteer.”
The law’s passage was welcomed by leaders from the Fire Fighters Association of the State of New York, the New York State Fire Districts Association, the state Fire Chiefs Association, and their Suffolk County counterparts—all of whom hope to see the policy expanded across New York.
“This is the model needed to keep the volunteer force going,” said FASNY President Gene Perry. “A recent study showed it would cost taxpayers over $6.4 billion to replace our volunteers with paid personnel. You’d see fire district taxes double. Keeping volunteers isn’t just good policy—it’s economic common sense.”
Legislator Mazzarella agreed. “This is what responsive government looks like. It’s our job to make sure our heroes can afford to live in the communities they protect.”
Legislator Thorne said implementation discussions will begin immediately, with pilot programs expected as early as next year. “We’re proud to lead the way in Suffolk,” Thorne said. “This law isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of a countywide commitment to those who give their time, their skills, and sometimes their lives to keep us safe.”
For now, local departments and their advocates hope the message is clear: Suffolk County values its volunteers—and is willing to act to keep them.