More than 300 volunteer fire departments throughout New York State are gearing up for the annual RecruitNY weekend, an initiative by the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) to recruit new volunteer firefighters.

On April 29-30, participating fire departments will open their doors and welcome members of the public to visit their local firehouses. Volunteer firefighters will conduct tours, demonstrate fire techniques and allow visitors to try on turnout gear.

Everybody is encouraged to attend at participating departments, including families with children.

A report released by FASNY in 2016 states that to replace all volunteer fire departments in the state with paid fire services, it would cost $3.87 billion per year, and property taxes would rise by an estimated 26.5 percent. FASNY says these figures do not include the costs of acquiring the necessary facilities and equipment to accommodate paid fire services.

Local volunteer fire departments who would like to sign up to participate in the RecruitNY weekend can log into recruitny.org/signup and fill out the participation form. The program provides all participating departments with access to recruitment resources, communication tools, posters, banners and more