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Town Board of the Town of Hamburg May 4, 2026 Meeting 4.14. State and Federal Action to Establish High School Firefighter Education and Training Programs for Juniors and Seniors WHEREAS, the Town of Hamburg relies significantly on the service and dedication of volunteer fire departments to protect life and property within the community; and WHEREAS, volunteer fire departments throughout New York State and the nation are experiencing ongoing challenges with recruitment, retention, and training of new members; and WHEREAS, providing structured firefighter education and training opportunities to high school juniors and seniors would introduce young people to public safety careers while addressing critical workforce shortages in fire service; and WHEREAS, integrating firefighter training into high school curricula would allow students to earn academic credit toward graduation while acquiring valuable life skills, leadership experience, and nationally recognized firefighting certifications; and WHEREAS, students completing such programs would enter volunteer and career fire service with foundational training already completed, resulting in significant cost savings for towns, villages, and cities that would otherwise bear the expense of initial firefighter training; and WHEREAS, municipalities and career fire departments would benefit by hiring candidates who are already trained and certified, provided such candidates successfully complete all required New York State Civil Service examinations; and WHEREAS, New York State has previously demonstrated support for fire service recruitment and training through initiatives such as firefighter training stipends, grants, and assistance programs; and WHEREAS, existing federal grant programs, including those administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provide a framework that could be expanded or adapted to support firefighter education programs within secondary schools. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Hamburg respectfully urges the New York State Legislature and the United States Congress to develop, support, and fund a comprehensive firefighter education program for high school juniors and seniors that integrates certified firefighter training into approved high school curricula, provides academic credit toward graduation, and creates a direct pathway into volunteer or career fire service; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such a program would strengthen public safety, reduce municipal training costs, and promote long-term sustainability of volunteer and career fire departments across New York State; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk is hereby directed to forward certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of the State of New York, the New York State Legislature, the Town’s State and Federal representatives, and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF). 31