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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Ann
Collis |
State Rep. Bryan Lentz |
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Lentz bill renewing volunteer EMS, fire department grant program heads to governor’s desk
HARRISBURG, June 25 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware, that would renew for five years the state’s authority to provide grants to volunteer fire companies and emergency medical services has passed the House and Senate and now goes to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
“Volunteer firefighters and EMS responders sacrifice their time, energy and safety each time they respond to an emergency,” Lentz said. “This grant program allows them to concentrate more on saving lives and less on time-consuming fund-raisers for equipment and training they need. These are brave men and women who deserve our support and I am proud to have played a part in getting them the funding they need.”
Lentz noted that volunteer fire and EMS companies save Pennsylvania taxpayers $6 billion each year.
The legislation, H.B. 906, would renew the Volunteer Fire Company and the Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant program through 2012, when legislators would be able to review and make changes to the program before reauthorizing it.
“Renewing the program automatically for five years will provide security to the volunteers who rely on the grant money for operating needs, and give communities peace of mind that should an emergency arise, they will be taken care of,” Lentz said.
Lentz said that for the 2007-08 application period only, the bill would double the grant funding to a total of $50 million -- $44 million for fire company grants and $6 million for ambulance service grants. In subsequent years, the grant program would be funded by an annual $25 million allocation from slots gaming revenues.
The grants would be doubled for one year only because there is currently $25 million on hand in gaming revenue to fund the program, with another $25 million set to be released on or after July 1. For the 2008-09 period, the grant funding would return to $22 million for fire company grants and $3 million for ambulance service grants, as in previous years.
The direct state grant program provides grants to volunteer fire, rescue and emergency medical services organizations for the acquisition or upgrading of equipment, the training of volunteers, the construction or renovation of primary buildings, or the reduction of debt from previous qualified purchases.
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