PA Fire Companies to Offer Pay-Per-Call Plan

A Pennsylvania township will be offering a pay-per-call plan at two fire companies as a way to give some small compensation to its active volunteer firefighters.

The Plymouth Township Council unanimously approved the program for Plymouth Fire Company and Harmonville Fire Company, which both serve the community, The Times Herald in Norristown, PA, reports. To be eligible for the payments, volunteer firefighters must respond to at least 15 percent of the total dispatched emergency calls or attend a minimum of half of the companies' weekly training sessions.

"The objective is to help fire companies increase their volunteer rosters while demonstrating the value of firefighters' services," Council Chair Mary Higgins told the newspaper, adding that she hopes the move will save the township millions of dollars by holding off the need to hire paid firefighters.

Members will be tracked between Nov. 1, 2019, through Oct. 31, 2019. According to The Times Herald, the fee breakdown will be:

• $5 for dispatched emergencies.
• $10 for emergency calls longer than an hour.
• $10 for in-station duty staffing in six-hour blocks.
• $20 for certificate training at an accredited institution for classes of at least 12 hours.