Bill introduced to help state fire departments, EMS providers
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Two area state representatives have co-sponsored legislation to supply grants to volunteer fire departments and EMS agencies.
State Rep. Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run, and Pam Snyder, D-Greene, introduced the legislation Friday.
Snyder, who wrote the legislation, titled “COVID-19 Crisis Grant Program for Volunteer Fire & EMS Companies” would supply a one-time grant to fire departments and EMS companies approved by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner for an annual grant for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
The legislation states that in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, all fundraising efforts by such agencies have been made extremely difficult.
“Even while facing this grave threat to their health, our first responders are being put in an unsustainable financial bind,” the legislation states. “The governor’s efforts to slow the spread of the virus have made fundraising by volunteer fire companies all but impossible.
“At the same time, medical facilities and the public are postponing other medical treatments, which has led to a stark decline in the number of non-emergency calls being run by our EMS agencies – and those are the calls that often pay the bills for these first responders. Our firefighters and EMS personnel need immediate financial assistance.”
Crisis grants would be automatically awarded with no need for companies to apply, with the program to last 180 days.
“Our first line of defense against the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 includes our volunteer fire companies and emergency medical services agencies,” the legislation reads. “They are being asked to expose themselves to this deadly virus that is impacting our state at an unprecedented scale.”
The grants will be funded by a one-time transfer of $30 million from the Volunteer Companies Loan Fund, which previously has been used to balance the state budget in both 2014 and 2016.
Cook and Snyder said they will pursue separate legislation to restore this funding when the emergency passes.
“I hope you will join me in recognizing the extraordinary need to support our volunteer fire companies and EMS agencies in this challenging time by co-sponsoring my bill to create the crisis grant program,” Snyder said. “Our first responders answer the call for us, and we must do the same for them.”
Cook said it was not a hard choice to introduce this bill.
“This is common-sense legislation,” he said.
While he added the bill may need some adjustments, he is eager to take a closer look and to see it passed.
“Like all things, this not perfect,” he said. “We will take another look at it and work out any kinks.”
Cook said first responders were struggling financially before the spread of COVID-19 made it to the Mon Valley.
“This was a problem long before COVID-19,” Cook said. “This will hit them even harder, for their health and safety and also for funding they need to keep their communities safe. This is the height of fundraising season for our local fire departments.”
As the bill is currently written, it does not include police.
“We are starting with fire and EMS and will look at police moving forward,” Cook said, adding that current funding is different for various agencies.
“We love our police and don’t want to exclude them, but funding is very different for the two agencies,” he said. “We need to take them in order of where the most need is at the present time.”
