Pa. Lawmakers Eye Tax Breaks to Boost Fire/EMS Volunteers

Jan. 31--HARRISBURG -- Lawmakers have yet to take their seats, but already bills are circulating that could encourage volunteerism at neighborhood fire and ambulance companies.

Legislation proposes income and property tax breaks as well as help with education costs.

The main question: Can Pennsylvania taxpayers live with incentives that are meaningful to volunteers?

"As volunteerism is diminishing in society, I believe there is a growing desire in the legislature to provide incentives for those who serve," said Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg. "Nonetheless, due to the commonwealth's difficult fiscal picture, legislation with the least fiscal impact to the commonwealth is most likely to be successful in the legislative process."

Mark Trace, fire chief of Franklin Fire Company in Chambersburg, said the impact will come down to the amount of the incentives.

"If someone is making $30,000 a year and they get $200 to $300 break, I don't think it's going to help," Trace said. "If we're talking thousands, I think it's going to help."

The service provided by Pennsylvania's volunteer firefighters is valued at $6 billion annually, according to a 2001 study by the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute.

At briefing on Dec. 19, members of the Franklin County Emergency Services Alliance told legislators representing Franklin County that attracting new volunteers was their No. 1 issue, said Rep. Adam Harris, R-Mifflintown. Volunteer training has become more expensive, more complex, and more time-consuming.

It's a statewide issue.

"We have 18 volunteer fire companies that are supporting a very rural county in northwest Pennsylvania," Warren Coutny Fiscal Director Paul J Pascuzzi said. "Half of these departments have an ambulance in their fleet. The state has mandated that they adopt a plan to assure 24/7 coverage 100 percent. The problem isn't equipment. It's all about finding trained personnel."

From Warren County to Adams County, Pennsylvania municipalities are discussing what to do.

Several bills offering financial incentives to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians already have been introduced in the general assembly and referred to committees. There's talk of fiddling with training requirements for fire and ambulance volunteers to encourage participation, but no legislation is yet drafted.

The legislative session is set to begin Monday.

Rep. William C. Kortz II, D-Pittsburgh, reintroduced legislation (House Bill 145) allowing municipalities to enact a tax credit for active volunteers of a volunteer fire company, emergency medical services agency, or hazardous materials response team on their earned income taxes and real estate taxes. Municipalities could offer active volunteers a tax credit of up to 20 percent of his or her tax liability. The proposal is in the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R- Dallas, also has a similar bill (Senate Bill 299) referred to committee counterpart in Senate. It would give a municipality the option to waive its local earned income tax for volunteer firefighters and EMTs.

Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Bucks County, re-introduced a three-bill package giving education incentives to volunteers:

--Fire and EMS volunteers could get an educational grant up to $3,700 a year and education loan forgiveness up to $2,000 a year for a five-year maximum.

--Volunteers, their children and spouses could get tuition credit of up to $600 per year for a maximum of $2,400 over four years for attending classes at a community college. In return, the volunteer would remain a member of the fire or ambulance company for at least four years.

--The tuition waiver program would be expanded to the surviving spouses of deceased firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, state parole agents, and county probation and parole officers. Pennsylvania already has a tuition-free program for children of deceased firefighters.

Greenleaf's bills were referred to the Senate Education Committee.

Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, said he would support the initiatives that provide incentives for people to volunteer for emergency services.

"It can't begin to be repay these Pennsylvanians for their service, but it can serve as a 'thank you' for those who choose to get involved," Kauffman said. "Our volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel are some of the most selfless people that we have in society. They volunteer to put their lives in danger every single day to serve, protect and save lives."

Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Hollidaysburg, said he has not heard firefighters advocate for any of the proposed bills.

"I haven't had a strong response from people on any of these bills," he said. "It's the training requirement I hear about more than anything else. Training requirements have become more onerous over time. Between the time for fundraising and training concerns, (volunteering) is not what people thought they were getting into -- sitting in the classroom and making turkey dinners."

Eichelberger said the legislature could look at trimming down the requirements for a firefighter's minimum certification and still be safe.

That's where Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Greencastle, also is headed.

"Tax credits, pensions and other benefits would be good incentives, but at a time when the commonwealth and local municipalities are already stretched financially, I am not certain that incentives such as this are reliable from year to year," Schemel said. "I am very willing to explore how incentives for emergency services volunteers could be funded. An easier way to throw some assistance the way of the fire departments and ambulance squads would be to more carefully examine the training and certification requirements and explore options to make training available in a manner that is more easily accessible, cost effective and sensitive to the time demands of the volunteers."

Rep. Harris said he would support legislation offering tax and tuition assistance for volunteers.

"While having the best trained firefighters and EMS personnel possible is a great thing, it certainly has had a negative effect on recruitment," Harris said.

JIm Hook can be reached at 717-262-4759.

Copyright 2015 - Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.