Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration is proposing doubling the state's fire company and emergency medical services grant program to $60 million to help first responders across Pennsylvania recruit more people, update outdated safety equipment, and provide additional training.
That comes as good news to Shavertown Fire Department President and Deputy Chief Ryan Moss. His organization is in the process of paying off debt on the purchase of a former automotive repair shop building that will serve as a new fire station.
The move is needed in large part because Shavertown's decades-old station can't accommodate larger modern fire trucks which have become the industry's standard.
"This ladder truck you see right here is 42 feet long. It's almost 12 feet high. And we have 12 foot doors. The engine bay is 30 feet deep, and the engine is 29-foot-six. So there's very little room there," Moss said while showing off a new truck. "Fire apparatus is just getting bigger and bigger, and we've outgrown the building."
The move won't happen overnight. Renovations will cost $2 million and could take two more years to complete. That's why Shapiro's proposal would be beneficial to his fire company.
"Any increase in funding is tremendous. We're strictly volunteer, and we do a lot of fundraising," Moss said. "But we rely on grant money for purchasing equipment and training."
Moss was joined by fire chiefs from around the region this week as Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook and Wendy Braund, Pennsylvania Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection, visited to talk about how the proposal would boost health and safety by providing added funding to first responder agencies. Cook and Braund also visited Americus Hose Company in Sunbury.
Shapiro's proposal, which is part of his overall 2024-25 budget package, is subject to legislative approval.
“Fire and EMS companies can’t afford to replace outdated trucks or the equipment they need to do their jobs," Cook told the Shavertown gathering as he stood in front of the modern truck Moss referenced — trucks that can cost $2 million or more, he noted.
"You cannot raise enough money by chicken barbecues and hoagie sales to come up with $2 million to buy a firetruck," Cook told WVIA News.
"They have been asked to do more with less," Cook said. They are hurting for volunteers and career personnel alike, and don’t have the resources to fund their recruitment and retention efforts. All while responding to more calls than ever.”
Currently, fire companies are limited to $20,000 in annual grant funding under the program, he said, while EMS providers are limited to $15,000. If approved, Shapiro's proposal would pave the way for larger grants.
“These additional investments will support the good work they do by helping departments pay for the ever-rising costs of public safety," Cook said.
Braund pointed out that the funding is as critical to staffing and recruitment as it is to infrastructure.
"So much of our EMS workforce is volunteer, and we have these companies that depend on private funding sources, to really keep them afloat," she said, noting such outfits are "an essential part of the health care system in the Commonwealth."
“The increase in grant funding, along with the Shapiro Administration's investment of $1 million for EMS tuition reimbursement is important in providing that much-needed support for fire and EMS professionals who put their lives on the line every time they are called to duty," Braund said.
These messages were timely for Wilkes-Barre City Fire Chief Jay Delaney, who attended the event. He said the department was about to ask City Council to approve a project for a new $35,000 floor at Hollenback Fire Station, which would draw on grants like the ones Shapiro wants to increase.
"The additional $30 million will, I think, go a long way to help our first responders across the Commonwealth," Delaney said.
The question now is how likely lawmakers are to approve the plan. Cook said he is optimistic about that.
"I would like to believe that we have enough bipartisan support," he said. "Obviously I can't predict that, but our fingers are crossed."
