Pa. Lawmakers Want FD's to Bill for Costs Related to Emergency Response

[Viper 139]

Pa. lawmakers want volunteer fire companies to bill for costs related to emergency responses

State lawmakers want to give volunteer firefighters the opportunity to recoup some of the costs related to their services.

State Rep. Steve Barrar recently hosted a public hearing to discuss House Bill 1272, which, according to a press release, would allow fire companies to charge for “real and reasonable” costs associated with their emergency responses.

Article: http://lancasteronline.com/news/pennsylvania/pa-lawmakers-want-volunteer-fire-companies-to-bill-for-costs/article_dfe07ca8-a42f-11e5-bbb5-0704960bca83.html

[somebuffyguy 190]

I'm not very familiar with rural fire departments or PA for that matter, but this confused me:

Dush said fire companies would not be able to charge for labor or bill an individual who has paid a tax to a municipality where a fire company is located.

Are there many areas that receive fire protection yet pay no taxes for their fire department? How do these departments meet their budgets, simply through fund raising? Either way I don't see this affecting many home owners as I'd imagine most live in a city or fire district that pays taxes for fire protection.

[FireMedic049 597]

I'm not very familiar with rural fire departments or PA for that matter, but this confused me:

Are there many areas that receive fire protection yet pay no taxes for their fire department? Yes. Many areas served by volunteer fire departments in the state often receive little to no direct financial support from the municipality that they serve. A number of areas do have a dedicated fire tax, but it oftentimes does not cover all of the operating costs. It's kind of rare to find a VFD in the state that is fully tax supported.

How do these departments meet their budgets, simply through fund raising? Pretty much. Sometimes there's also grants and donations. There are a number of places that are trying to implement or increase dedicated fire taxes to help pay the bills. In some cases, the fire tax is pretty much the result of the VFD(s) in the municipality giving them the ultimatum, help fund us or we won't be able to continue operating.

Either way I don't see this affecting many home owners as I'd imagine most live in a city or fire district that pays taxes for fire protection. Not sure what impact this will have if implimented.

[mfc2257 464]

I'd imagine most live in a city or fire district that pays taxes for fire protection.

Not the case at all. In fact many live in areas where there isn't taxation for fire protection. This is a contributing factor in why PA has more volunteer FF's than any other state in the nation. Fundraising is done on a consistent basis. It wouldn't be strange for a VFD to have a fundraising event once per month. Shrimp feeds, pig roasts, gun raffles, carnivals, clam bakes, pasta dinners, bingo night, poker tournaments, comedy night, friendship night, etc....

[mfc2257 464]

A follow up on this topic.... Attached is a link to a fire department web site in Southeast, PA as well as a screen grab of their most recent fundraising dinner. They are located in the hills between Gettysburg and Chambersburg. They are a rural department that relies on fundraising (mostly through their own activity and not necessarily by letter campaign). I ran 2nd and 3rd due into these guys territory for about 5 years. You wont find many better firefighting organizations out there. As you can see from the photo, the community thinks highly of them too. Sold out.... Meeting room and apparatus room floor filled with over 500 paying patrons.

http://buchananvalleyfd.org/

Edited February 8, 2016 by mfc2257

[SOUSGT 357]

I'm not very familiar with rural fire departments or PA for that matter, but this confused me:

Are there many areas that receive fire protection yet pay no taxes for their fire department? How do these departments meet their budgets, simply through fund raising? Either way I don't see this affecting many home owners as I'd imagine most live in a city or fire district that pays taxes for fire protection.

They do fundraising or in come cases subscription protection. The department basically sends out a bill (or subscription fee notice) each year and if the homeowner or business pays the subscription fees, the department will respond to the location if called. There have been cases were the homeowner declines to pay the subscription fee and there was a fire at their location. The department responded to ensure that everyone was out and then left without fighting the fire. The dwelling burned to the ground. You may feel this is quite controversial but in some places it is a way of life.

[FireMedic049 597]

They do fundraising or in come cases subscription protection. The department basically sends out a bill (or subscription fee notice) each year and if the homeowner or business pays the subscription fees, the department will respond to the location if called. There have been cases were the homeowner declines to pay the subscription fee and there was a fire at their location. The department responded to ensure that everyone was out and then left without fighting the fire. The dwelling burned to the ground. You may feel this is quite controversial but in some places it is a way of life.

I'm not aware of any places in PA that provide fire protection via subscription. Could you provide some examples that are doing this in PA?

[mfc2257 464]

I'm not aware of any places in PA that provide fire protection via subscription. Could you provide some examples that are doing this in PA?

I too am unaware of subscription service in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

[Union241 3]

They do fundraising or in come cases subscription protection. The department basically sends out a bill (or subscription fee notice) each year and if the homeowner or business pays the subscription fees, the department will respond to the location if called. There have been cases were the homeowner declines to pay the subscription fee and there was a fire at their location. The department responded to ensure that everyone was out and then left without fighting the fire. The dwelling burned to the ground. You may feel this is quite controversial but in some places it is a way of life.

I too, would like to see some examples of this. 12 PA Code, which establishes laws and regulations for PA municipalities, dictates that each municipality is responsible for identifying the agency responsible for fire, EMS and police coverage for said municipality. Municipalities are not responsible for funding the identified organizations, but the code does allow them to levy a "fire tax" or "emergency services tax" to help fund or offset the costs of providing the coverage (my municipality uses this tax to pay the rent for fire hydrants charged by Suez Water). In addition to this, many agencies (mine included), in addition to normal fundraising activities, have an annual fund drive through which a significant amount of their annual budget is derived through. This is by no means a subscription, and for an agency to make that assumption, could at the very least run the risk of them losing that coverage area. I also doubt a county PSAP would also not replace a company which has failed to respond with the next due or next closest company if an agency fails to respond (8 minutes from initial dispatch for my county).