Fire Districts Fight For Reimbursment

New legislation being floated in Albany would allow fire districts to seek reimbursement for costs associated with hazardous material spills.

The bill, which has already passed the Assembly but still needs Senate approval, would allow municipalities, or fire districts that contract with or control fire companies, to bill transportation companies for certain costs associated with hazardous material cleanups.

Town of Islip Director of Emergency Management Rick Gimbl, said he supports the bill.

"When a fire department responds to a call of an oil spill, they can't wear that same equipment to another call until it is cleaned," Gimbl said. "Also, if they have to apply speed dry to clean the spill, they can now bill the company responsible for the spill. The town of Islip is very happy with this."

The Sayville Fire District was also behind the bill, which is being championed locally by state Sen. Brian X. Foley, D-Blue Point.

"Being alre to recover cleanup costs from transportation companies will help us stay within budget and save our taxpayers' dollars," said Wendy Liu, public information officer for the Sayville Fire Department.

In a press release, Foley touted the bill by stating "when these transportation companies are asked to haul materials, they expect to be paid extra if they have to spend an additional day or travel additional miles to deliver the material. So too should our fire departments be paid extra when they go above and beyond to protect the residents of our state when there is an accident involving a transporter of hazardous materials."