Zebrowski honored by state volunteer firefighters for work on building code safety

Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read
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The state's largest volunteer firefighter organization honored state Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski this month for his work protecting the approximately 85,000 volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel around New York.

Zebrowski, who on Tuesday won his ninth two-yearterm as representative of Rockland County's 96th Assembly District, was unanimously chosen to receive the 2022 Golden Trumpet Award, given by the Firefighters Association of the State Of New York, or FASNY.

"These are the folks that I should be giving an award to," Zebrowski said of the volunteers. The honor, he said, "signifies the steps we've taken to make New York a bit safer."

Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski discusses illegal housing and other safety violations during news conference at a firehouse in Spring Valley April 11, 2019.
Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski discusses illegal housing and other safety violations during news conference at a firehouse in Spring Valley April 11, 2019.

Zebrowski said during his tenure in Albany he has "prioritized code enforcement, increasing fines, developing criminal penalties, and focused on trying to ferret out what makes illegal housing and dangerous buildings prevalent here in New York State."

Gov. Kathy Hochul last year signed a Zebrowski bill into law that mandates penalties for building owners who rack up building code violations and fail to fix them.

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Zebrowski, 41, has called out a culture building owners and developers for a culture of "build now, ask for forgiveness later."

The West Nyack Democrat also pushed for regulations that ensure safety codes are enforced for school buildings. His work, alongside the Rockland County Illegal Housing Task Force, helped secure state monitors in Spring Valley and Ramapo after years of lax building code enforcement.

Family members of Spring Valley firefighter Jared Lloyd take a photo Oct. 17, 2022 under the sign renaming a stretch of Route.45 in Rockland County for Lloyd, who died fighting a fire at Evergreen Court in Spring Valley in March of 2021. The portion of Route 45, running from Hillcrest to New Hempstead, was renamed Firefighter Jared Lloyd Memorial Highway. New York State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski sponsored the bill to rename the portion of the state highway in honor of Lloyd.

As chair of the Assembly's Committee on Governmental Operations, Zebrowski held a hearing this month focusing on how localities enforce the state's Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. Part of the testimony focused on a 2021 fatal fire at a Spring Valley adult home where volunteer firefighters reported low water pressure impeded their response. A state agency continues to investigate the issue. A volunteer firefighter and a resident were killed in the blaze that destroyed Evergreen Court.

Zebrowski championed property tax discounts for volunteer first responders and continues to support other tax credits for certain volunteer responders.

FASNY President Edward Tase Jr. called Zebrowski a staunch ally for New York's first responders.

Zebrowski also acknowledged his 97-year-old grandfather, Al Magnatta,a 70-year Congers volunteer firefighter.

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy. Follow her on Twitter at @nancyrockland. 

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY volunteer firefighters honor Zebrowski for fire safety work