Category: COVID-19

*EDIT*  – This blog post was based on the original version of the bill. You can read about the most current version by clicking the links provided at the bottom of this page. Bill S8251 was introduced in the Senate on April 27, 2020. It was then amended May 6, 2020 to include ​an amendment to…

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As was mentioned in a previous post, a bill was introduced in the Senate to try and address the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic will  have on the ability of volunteers to earn LOSAP points in 2020. Since that post, the bill was amended to include changes to Articles 11-AA and 11-AAA, which are…

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A bill was introduced in the Senate this week to address how the current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted how firefighters can earn LOSAP points. At this point, we are providing the text of the bill with no comments. It can be found at the bottom of this article. In general, we maintain that we cannot…

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If you are reading this post, you likely know that NYS Law requires that the list of firefighters that earned 50 points during the prior calendar year must be posted for 30 days for review by the membership. Anyone whose name does not appear on the list as having earned 50 points can appeal within…

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Since LOSAP started here in NY effective 1/1/1990, technology has improved and increased in usage. Manual sign-in sheets have been replaced with key-fobs and fingerprint readers. Pagers have been replaced with apps such as IamResponding. Online training classes are becoming the norm rather than the exception. With any system or process, it is important to…

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, directives from government agencies of all levels – Federal and State for certain, but also County and other local governments – have resulted in the cancellation of many events, including activities of our volunteer fire departments. Departments are cancelling regularly-scheduled meetings and drills. In-person training classes have also…

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A question came in about military leave, and we thought it would be a good subject for a blog post. In a prior post, we discussed who is eligible for military leave points. You can read more here: WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR MILITARY LEAVE POINTS? We encourage you to read this prior post carefully, but the takeaway…

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We seem to like streaks. For those of you engaged in Snapchat, streaks are counted for the number of consecutive days you snap with someone else. At least, that is what my teenage daughter tells me. Age is a streak – how many days have you woken up to live another day. In sports, we…

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What does it mean to be a professional?  In many contexts, the term professional means paid, in particular in the sporting world. A professional athlete is paid, an amateur is not.  Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) won the light heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Olympics as an amateur. In October of that same year, he…

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Today, Governor Cuomo signed bill A07552 / S4207a into law – Chapter 474 of the laws of 2019 – which increases the maximum allowable Defined Contribution (DC) benefit in New York State from $700 to $1,200. This does not impact those municipalities that sponsor a Defined Benefit (DB) plan – those benefits remain unchanged. For a…

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