NORRISTOWN — All fire services in Pennsylvania should be entitled to use the funds that are available to their departments.
To that end, Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell is appealing to voters to say “yes” to a statewide referendum on May 18.
The ballot question stemmed from the Senate Resolution 6 Commission’s (SR6) unanimous recommendation to change the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program and add career/combination fire departments, O’Donnell noted.
“We’re trying to get Harrisburg to change some archaic laws that exist and open up the program where there’s a windfall of money that municipal fire departments like the Norristown Fire Department and other departments in Montgomery County can take the opportunity to purchase fire apparatus. This is an important topic locally but also across the Commonwealth,” he said.
“There is an existing law in the books that needs to be amended to make it something that the entire fire service in Pennsylvania can benefit from. When the entire fire service in Pennsylvania benefits, the citizens we serve to protect are the real winners,” O’Donnell added.
Organizations that support the amendment include the Pennsylvania Fire Emergency Services Institute, Pennsylvania Career Fire Chiefs Association, Firemen’s Association of the state of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association.
“All these groups have collectively sought change,” O’Donnell said. “This really came out of all the legwork that was done in Harrisburg the last couple of years (determining) the changes that can be made to better serve the people of Pennsylvania. We hope every voter in Pennsylvania sees the value of this and votes to support this referendum to make sure that not just the volunteer fire service in Pennsylvania has the tools to do its job, but the entire fire service in Pennsylvania has the tools it needs. There’s not one reason, in my opinion, that any individual would not support this legislation. There’s $47 million now sitting in a fund that could be better utilized for every community in the state. This money needs to benefit the entire fire service … not just the volunteers, not just the paid firefighters, but the entire fire service. And the only way to make changes that benefit everybody is to make changes to a referendum that make all the sense in the world. This is just one of those pieces of legislation that’s a no-brainer. As the fire chief of the Norristown Fire Department I support this to provide much-needed financial tools that communities like Norristown so desperately need.”
Funds from the program have been repeatedly directed to balancing the state budget, O’Donnell pointed out.
“Clearly, the message from Harrisburg is they’re not going to use this money to purchase fire equipment in communities. They’re going to take it out and use it for something else,” he said.
“Fire apparatus is anywhere from a half million dollars to over a million dollars for a single piece of fire apparatus. When we’re able to get grants like this at the state level it directly helps the residents in each of our communities.”
O’Donnell noted that it’s important to understand that the loan fund is solvent, and every year enjoys significant surplus. The current balance is $47 million and loans are paid back with interest. The loans do not cover the full cost of fire apparatus. Currently 60 to 77 vehicles are funded per year, and it is estimated that adding 22 additional career departments would likely generate one additional vehicle loan per year and will not negatively hurt the program nor cause loan requests to be refused.
O’Donnell noted that the ballot question will read, “Do you favor expanding the use of the indebtedness authorized under the referendum for loans to volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads under 35 PA.C.S. 7378.1 (related to referendum for additional indebtedness) to include loans to municipal fire departments or companies that provide services through paid personnel and emergency medical services companies for the purpose of establishing and modernizing facilities to house apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, and for purchasing apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, protective and communications equipment and any other accessory equipment necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the fire companies and emergency medical services companies?”
A “yes” vote supports expanding the state’s loan program for volunteer fire companies and ambulance services to also include municipal fire companies and EMS services.
Chas McGarvey, chief of Lower Merion Fire Department, had served on the SR6 Commission, which was formed to exam the emergency services crisis in Pennsylvania and came up with the recommendations for changes to the program.
“I sat on the SR6 and was also the chair of a government sub committee,” McGarvey noted. “Over the last few years the state has taken out over $36 million to budget their balance and last year they took out another $6 million just to budget their balance. So the fund is fully funded and has plenty of money in it. We want to change the way law reads to allow for career and combination departments to apply for these loans.”
Sadly, many dire services in the state are not properly informed about the issue, he added.
“There’s something going around to some volunteer fire companies that they’re going to take away their money, and it’s not true. There’s $47 million, so there’s plenty of money for the entire fire service. It’s important that the public is fully aware of what the truth is, that there’s plenty of money to go around for everyone. One of the things that came out of the SR6 is that in the ’70s we had over 300,000 volunteers and today we’re less than 38,000. So municipalities are dependent on combination departments, yet this money isn’t accessible to them the way the current law reads. That’s why we need to have it changed.”
