Nearly $60M Earmarked to Help PA Volunteer FFs

Nearly $60 million is making its away to organizations across Pennsylvania that support volunteer firefighters.

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced on Tuesday the release of those dollars, which is $5 million more than was distributed last year, that will flow to more than 1,900 volunteer firefighters’ relief associations. They are restricted to using the money to buy equipment, pay for training, purchase insurance, and pay death benefits solely for volunteer firefighters.

At a news conference held outside the Steelton Volunteer Fire Department, DePasquale said, "The service [volunteer firefighters] provide saves local taxpayers billions of dollars and saves lives. Every dollar of state aid my office distributes helps to defray costs at the local level.”

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Some $14.4 million of that money will be distributed to relief associations in the Susquehanna Valley. The funding for those allocations comes from a 2 percent tax on fire insurance purchased by Pennsylvanians from out-of-state insurance companies.

Steelton’s fire company will receive $24,354 and it will go to pay for insurance, upkeep on trucks, and to certify the breathing apparatus volunteer firefighters wear, said Eugene Vance, fire chief and president of the department’s relief association.

That leaves just $2,000 for training and gear for volunteers. Vance noted it costs $2,000 for a volunteer firefighter to receive the nearly 200 hours of training needed to respond to fire calls, and another $3,000 to provide a firefighter with the necessary gear.

Vance expressed gratitude to the borough and its taxpayers for its support of the fire company, which helps fund the department’s annual budget that tops $100,000 and paid for a new fire engine purchased last year for $630,000 as well as the $50,000 to equip it.

“If it wasn’t for the Borough of Steelton, we probably wouldn’t have these doors open today," Vance said.

Steelton’s fire department responded to nearly 500 emergency calls last year. In between calls, it held several fund-raisers includes chicken barbecues, Christmas tree and Easter flower sales, sub and soup sales, pie sales, and “Fill the Boot” donation drives.

DePasquale chose to make the announcement at this fire department because he said it serves as a “great example of the challenges faced by volunteer fire departments" across the state in facing declines in the number of volunteers and rising costs.

“Nobody signs up to be a volunteer firefighter because they secretly want to work as a fundraiser,” DePasquale said. "They want to fight fires, save lives, and be an active member of their community. In fact, the constant need to raise funds may be a reason why fewer people these days are choosing to volunteer. it is very, very difficult to recruit volunteer firefighters.”

The number of volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania has fallen from more than 300,000 in the 1970s to fewer than 35,000 today.

DePasquale’s office also audits the volunteer firefighters’ relief associations to ensure the state aid they receive is appropriately spent. He said when his auditors detect an issue, the problem is most often technical in nature and the result of “innocent mistakes ... And the volunteer fire departments are very helpful in correcting that.”

He said fewer than 10 relief associations a year have major issues where auditors find the state aid they received was misspent including some in Delaware County. He pointed out there have been no major violations in this area for some time.

DePasquale also repeated his call for state lawmakers to give relief associations more flexibility in how the state aid they receive is spent, which currently can only be used to benefit volunteer firefighters even in those departments that have both volunteers and professional firefighters responding to calls.

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