Make Time To Help

In case you missed it, the most memorable line at a recent Express Sessions event in Sag Harbor, focusing on the future of the region’s volunteer fire and ambulance services, came from Matt Zukosky. He trains emergency service responders all over the island, and he noted that Nassau and Suffolk counties together have the largest volunteer force in the world — with Australia being second.

On Long Island, and particularly on the South Fork, “The spirit of volunteerism is still alive and strong,” as East Hampton Fire Chief Gerry Turza Jr. said. At the same time, the burgeoning state of local neighborhoods, a haven and a destination for so many, is sending demands on the volunteer forces beyond the means, in some cases.

Paid help is already a fact of life in most ambulance companies; a good case was made at the Express Sessions event that local fire chiefs likely deserve a paycheck as well, considering the demands on them. In the end, though, it’s about keeping the volunteer spirit alive, and encouraging new men and women to step forward as fire departments and ambulance companies lose others.

Perhaps there is some linkage between the need for affordable housing and the need for volunteers — some opportunity to connect the two, to allow men and women who agree to the arduous task of running with an ambulance or lugging fire hoses some inside track on a really affordable year-round rental or starter house.

As noted, the Spanish-speaking community is represented in local departments, but perhaps that can be bolstered by a campaign to educate and encourage volunteerism. In a crisis, it’s important to throw a wide net. As Tom Gardella, a Sag Harbor Village Board member and a former fire chief, said, “It doesn’t matter how much money you make, if you are a man or a woman, or whatever ethnic background you are from. If you are willing to commit to do the job, to volunteer, that’s all that’s needed.”

In addition to creating housing opportunities, there clearly is a role for more paid positions, especially in the ambulance companies — and it would be truly a quality of life benefit if those paid positions were full-time, with benefits, offering a real living wage even in a resort community. To force EMTs and paramedics to shuffle from department to department, islandwide, just to earn enough to survive is intolerable. It’s one part of the equation that can be fixed with enough commitment from officials and residents, who must agree to open their pocketbooks.

But for now, the bigger message: If you’re young and able-bodied, put in some time as a volunteer for your community. If you’re not so young — you still have a role to play. When you’re in need, your neighbors will be there. Will you be there for them?