U.S. House bill would offer tax credits to those who join, remain in volunteer fire companies
By Lynda Guydon Taylor
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Copyright 2006 P.G. Publishing Co.
Responding to growth and development pains in the 1990s, South Strabane switched from an all-volunteer fire department to a combination volunteer and paid force.
That’s because growth and development also spur an increase in fire calls, Chief Scott Reese said. In the early 1990s, firefighters answered 100 to 200 calls a year, but last year, the number more than doubled to 580. He expects to end this year at 600.
With increased calls comes concern about who will respond, Mr. Reese said. Firefighters heeded the demand for more manpower by requesting in 1998 that township supervisors add paid staff to the force.
Today, the township relies on five paid and 25 volunteer firefighters. While some municipalities have addressed the problem through hiring, other all-volunteer departments continue to struggle.
The difficulty in attracting volunteers is a problem felt nationwide, especially in Pennsylvania where, according to a report to the state Senate in 2004, more than 90 percent of the 2,462 fire departments are volunteer. The national average is 73 percent.
Now comes legislation from U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, encouraging more people to volunteer. Volunteer firefighters are a key element of support and safety for communities across Pennsylvania, noted for its number of all-volunteer departments, Ms. Hart said. On the other hand, the number of volunteers has been falling for 30 years, from 300,000 in 1976 to 72,000 today.
In May, Ms. Hart introduced the Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention Act. It would provide the following: a $1,000 tax credit to those who spend at least three years on the force, continued $1,000-a-year tax credits up to seven years and a $1,500 credit once a volunteer reaches eight years of service. It would help to defray any costs firefighters incur, Ms. Hart said.
The Joint Committee on Taxation has yet to figure out the cost in terms of lost tax revenue.
A 2001 Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute Study estimated the value of services provided by volunteers statewide at $6 billion annually, taking into account firefighter salaries and benefits alone.
The Hart bill is in the House Ways and Means Committee, where she serves. Her bill is not the only one attempting to tackle the problem. Four other congressional bills calling for tax credits, three in the House and one in the Senate, have been proposed. Other bills addressing the need for volunteers have been proposed in the state General Assembly.
“I think [the congressional bills] are all good. Anything that shows the community values service by providing something of value to people, whether with finances or time, is a good thing,” Ms. Hart said.
The number of volunteers has dropped, and communities are dealing not only with fewer recruits but also with challenges such as chemical hazards and terrorism, she said. She hopes, if passed, her legislation, endorsed by a significant number of fire companies and the National Association of Towns and Townships, will encourage more volunteers.
Firefighters say not only is it dangerous work but it also means time away from family, Ms. Hart said. The tax credit is in direct relation to what volunteers lose as a result of giving of their time. “It’s a good way to tell them thank you.”
Anything that can be done for people willing to donate their service would help, state Fire Commissioner Ed Mann said. Lots of legislation, including death benefits, tuition reimbursement and pension and insurance incentives, has been introduced in the state, although little has been passed, Mr. Mann said.
Ms. Hart believes congressional legislation has a good chance for passage because it is cost effective and in keeping with community service.
There are a couple of reasons that the number of volunteers has declined. Mr. Mann cited an increase in families where both parents work and more activities competing for people’s time.
Mr. Reese, the South Strabane chief, said fire departments all over were feeling the squeeze. Becoming a firefighter involves a lot of training, commitment to do fund-raising and working events such as bingos. Some might join thinking they are simply going to fight fires, which is not the case.
For every three recruits, the department might get, one commits for the long haul. Another problem for departments is those who decide to make it a career might wind up relocating for better opportunities.
Although the state does not mandate training, South Strabane and many other departments do require it.
“I’m very uncomfortable sending someone out on the street with no knowledge,” said Mr. Reese, who has been with the South Strabane fire department since 1989 and got his start in 1977 in Lone Pine.
“Volunteers are a dying breed. People don’t have the time to give,” he said.
Like South Strabane, several fire departments meet the manpower need by combining volunteers and paid staffers. North Strabane supervisors agreed Tuesday to beef up the township’s fire department by approving a proposal to conduct testing for the hiring of a deputy fire chief in charge of training, helping with administrative duties and coordinating 911 operations. The deputy would report to the volunteer chief. The department has two paid firefighters and 26 volunteers.
There is a need to supplement the daytime staff, Supervisor Brian Spicer said. The township has grown so much and firefighters are required to do lots more, such as test sprinkler systems.
“It’s well known that volunteer firefighters are the best buy a township can have,” Mr. Spicer said.
One department that continues to rely on an all-volunteer force is Ellsworth/Somerset, which began displaying a sign seeking volunteers about six months ago at its station on Route 136 in Somerset. The sign and fliers elicited eight to 10 phone calls, and of those three or four people joined, said Chief Dave Lambert, who works for Ellsworth’s public works department.
The department gets a lot of high school kids who must learn the ropes and cannot do too much until they turn 18, he said.
The department, which numbers 35 active firefighters participating in all facets of the operation, covers about an 85-square-mile area, including Interstate 70 and Routes 136 and 519.
He regards the Hart legislation as a good incentive for volunteers and a benefit to all fire departments.