PA Lawmakers Work to Help Retain Firefighters, Responders
Source Reading Eagle, Pa.
Jan. 25--Harrisburg, PA -- As the ranks of volunteers at fire and paramedic departments continue to decline, a group of Pennsylvania lawmakers representing both sides of the aisle unveiled a new legislative package on Monday that they hope will boost recruitment and curb the downward trend.
"They leave their beds. They leave work. They make a lot of sacrifices to help people," Allegheny Republican Sen. Randy Vulakovich said during a news conference at the state Capitol. "Now they are simply telling us, 'We really need some help.' They've been telling us for a while. It's our fault. We have been turning somewhat of a deaf ear. But we're not now."
The number of volunteers has dropped from 300,000 in the 1970s to about 50,000 today.
Vulakovich, who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, was joined by other lawmakers and first responders to announce a 16-bill package of legislation to complement and build on previous efforts to address key issues.
Facing similar concerns more than a decade ago, the General Assembly approved a resolution that created a bipartisan commission to study emergency services across the state. The 25-member commission released a report that focused on specific concerns such as recruitment and delivery of services -- issues that seemed to be most common among fire departments and ambulance organizations across the state.
"And now 13 years later, I feel the timing is right to reboot this effort," said Vulakovich. Some of the proposals in the package would allow the state to establish a college loan forgiveness program, online training options, award tax credits for employers of volunteers who leave work and authorize volunteer fire companies to bill customers.
"Pennsylvania policymakers need to do all we can to support volunteer and professional firefighters and EMS personnel," said Allegheny Democratic Sen. Jay Costa. "It is good public policy and makes fiscal sense. The work of the commission is important because it will provide a road map that legislators can use to develop effective public policy that will impact future generations."
Contact Karen Shuey: 610-371-5081 or [email protected].
Karen Shuey -- Reporter Karen Shuey is the breaking news reporter at the Reading Eagle.
Phone: 610-371-5081 Email: [email protected]
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