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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Robert F. Matzie |
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Bill to extend firefighter-ambulance grants to become law
HARRISBURG, June 27 – State Rep. Robert F. Matzie, D-Allegheny/Beaver, voted Tuesday for legislation to extend a program providing assistance to fire companies and ambulance services, and the bill is headed to the governor to be signed into law.
"Firefighters and ambulance personnel, many of whom volunteer their services, keep our families safe every day," Matzie said. "This grant program helps our fire and ambulance services pay for the best emergency response possible, so it was too important to communities to allow it to expire."
Under Senate Bill 866, the Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program would be expanded to include municipal fire companies. The program, set to expire at the end of June, would be extended to June 30, 2016.
The measure also increases funding by $5 million, to help emergency responders pay for equipment, construction or renovation of facilities, training and debt reduction. With the additional funding, approximately $1 million in grants will be awarded to municipal fire companies and the remaining $4 million of new funding will be available for grants to volunteer fire company and ambulance services.
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