Governments asked to help fund fire and EMS
Jan. 22--CHAMBERSBURG -- Firefighters and emergency medical technicians have posed a question to municipalities in Franklin County: "How long can you sustain the emergency services you provide?"
Fewer volunteers are running more calls to an older population accustomed to services provided by paid metro departments. The problem was noted 40 years ago and has been revisited periodically.
Randy Negley of the Franklin County Emergency Service Alliance on Wednesday asked the question of the Franklin County Council of Governments. He called on COG to be "proactive" and follow the example of the Adams County COG where municipalities together passed tax hikes to raise about $2 million a year for fire companies in the county.
"We can't continue to do this," Negley said. "It will come to the point we have to be reactive, and it's not going to be pleasant."
Members of the Adams County COG and Franklin County fire and ambulance services attended the meeting.
The Adams County COG helped fund a study that called for municipalities to appropriate money for fire companies with the fire companies opening their books to municipalities. Municipalities and fire companies together also are to review major purchases to avoid too much of similar equipment.
The study recommended a tax hike to support fire companies. The hike cost a typical homeowner about $30 to $40 a year. Eleven municipalities enacted the tax hike. Municipalities distributed the revenue to fire companies based on the value of the property in their service areas.
Residents were willing to fund their fire companies and did not complain, said Sharon Hamm of Straban Township.
Chambersburg Councilman William McLaughlin said he supported a COG study of the Franklin County fire departments and emergency medical services.
"At some point we have to get beyond the point of looking at political boundaries and looking at the whole picture," he said. "That's whole with a "w," not an "h" as in hole. We're dragging ourselves into a hole."
Franklin County COG members did not discuss the prospect on Wednesday and quickly adjourned to plow newly fallen snow.
"This is to plant the seed," Negley said. "I will be coming back at you."
New Franklin Fire Chief Ben Holmquist said the response rate of his volunteers has not been keeping pace with the annual increase in calls.
If a fire company fails to send the required first-due equipment, another company is alerted. Mutual aid creates a domino effect for the manpower shortage, according to Negley.
"There are no boundaries in an emergency," he said. "It's going to keep going out."
Pennsylvania had more than 300,000 people volunteering in their neighborhood fire service 40 years ago, and today there are just 50,000.
Jim Hook can be reached at 717-262-4759.
Copyright 2015 - Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.
