A bill to help local volunteer fire department members complete certain training requirements more easily has been approved in the Assembly and now the Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk for his signature.

The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Heuvelton Republican Sen. Patty Ritchie, directs the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to develop a plan that would allow more skills training requirements to be completed at a trainee’s home department or online.

“When departments have to send members and other resources to far away training, they are left with a limited ability to protect their communities,” said Ritchie. “Through this measure, we are making it easier for current members and new volunteers to receive the training they need and as a result, better protect our communities.”

According to the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), there are 100,000 volunteer firefighters in New York. Not only do these volunteers help to protect lives, they also save taxpayer dollars, according to FASNY.

Sen. Ritchie’s 48th Senate District covers northern and western St. Lawrence County including Ogdensburg, Canton, Gouverneur, Oswegatchie, Waddington, Lisbon, Madrid, Louisville, DeKalb, DePeyster, Hermon, Edwards, Fowler, Rossie, Macomb, Morristown, and Hammond, plus Jefferson and Oswego counties.