Legislation and Funding
As part of the FireRescue1 Legislation & Funding topic, we highlight articles that will affect the bottom line of fire department budgets and operations.
Aldermen Rob Savidge and Keanuú Smith-Brown abstained from votes on the firefighter agreement, with Savidge citing the union’s censure of him over paramedic funding
Bipartisan House bills from Reps. Angela Witwer and David Prestin would let 17-year-olds obtain EMT or medical first responder licenses with parental consent, addressing a statewide shortage
The Fremont City Council’s Sept. 29 vote clears the way for volunteer firefighter/EMT Andrew Coates to join Fremont Fire, after his non-accredited homeschool diploma had disqualified him from the paid position
As a state-backed study pushes North Wales, Upper and Lower Gwynedd and Ambler toward shared fire services, Mayor Neil McDevitt says the borough favors operational cooperation over a costly merger
The four-year deal, ratified 97% to 3% by the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, includes 5% wage increases and staffing relief following a July impasse over safety concerns
The three-year agreement makes Waco the second Texas department to test Qwake’s C-THRU helmet, which combines thermal imaging with navigation, communication and safety alerts
Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino cast the deciding vote against the deal, citing rising health insurance costs, after Councilor Craig Diego questioned the contract’s pay raises, staffing cuts and no-layoff clause
Sheriff Gregory Tony criticized Broward County’s decision to remove Fire Rescue from his agency after 2028, as years of disputes over funding and oversight come to a head
Danielson residents approved $64,000 for new firefighter gear after the department halted operations for nine days and later resumed with limited staffing over PPE safety concerns
The $1 million custom rig includes dedicated space for command and research functions
Sacramento Fire says 79 frequent 911 users generated more than 5,100 EMS responses, consuming emergency resources and contributing to response delays
Broward County commissioners voted unanimously not to renew the sheriff’s office fire-rescue agreement after 2028, returning roughly 900 employees and oversight of the department to the county
Portsmouth adopted rules to fully implement collective bargaining nearly three years after first authorizing it, establishing bargaining units for firefighters, police and other city employees
Gavin Newsom cited concerns that the move would not be financially sound; AB 1383 would have lowered retirement ages by 2 years and raised maximum accrual rates by 0.3%
The Rural Health Transformation Program may be one of the biggest opportunities EMS has seen in years, but winning the money is only the first challenge
Sennett Fire Department is among 65 volunteer departments sharing $25 million in state V-FIRE grants for equipment, fire station improvements and other infrastructure needs
Minoa added 20 paid firefighters to bolster daytime coverage after its volunteer ranks fell from about 80 members to 30, with fewer than 20 regularly responding
Eagle officials postponed a decision on a proposed fire training and public works facility after residents raised concerns about its location next to a popular bike park
The bipartisan measure would seek an estimated $3.1 billion from FEMA for pension payments tied to 9/11-related deaths and disabilities among firefighters, police officers and other public employees
Amendment 3 would expand homestead exemptions while reducing a major source of revenue used by local governments to fund law enforcement and fire services
Avoid common registration delays that could cost you funding opportunities
How one day transformed emergency preparedness and the lives of generations of first responders
How fire chiefs can protect the features that matter most, avoid costly trade-offs and plan for decades of change
Pittsburgh will use funding donated by Highmark Health to purchase eight engines and five ladder trucks as the city works to replace an aging fleet
New federal rules will provide 25% hazard pay for prescribed fire activities beginning in September, potentially benefiting about 12,500 Forest Service and Interior Department firefighters
Lynn’s renovated Fayette Street Fire Station features improved exhaust removal, decontamination areas and separation between contaminated gear and firefighter living spaces
The Sept. 3 event will bring together clinicians, researchers, first responders and advocates to examine 25 years of 9/11-related healthcare and research
Scranton’s proposed 2027 capital budget includes $190,000 to purchase three used ambulances as the city moves toward integrating public and private EMS response
Budget constraints, staffing, apparatus procurement, and the electric vehicle transition
MOST POPULAR
- Calif. governor vetoes bill that would have lowered retirement age, added benefits for firefighters, police
- FEMA to resume in-person training at National Fire Academy
- Discover how fire departments are redefining station design [eBook]
- U.S. Forest Service reverses course, issues masks to wildland firefighters but keeps ban in place
- Pa. bill aims to strengthen volunteer firefighter staffing through job training credits