In the near future I plan on introducing bold new legislation to a comprehensive new grant program within Title 35 (Health and Safety). The Small Fire Company and Consolidated Fire and EMS Grant Program.

For many years, funding issues have plagued efforts in recruitment and retention throughout our first responder community, resulting in increased response times, lower staffing rates, and harder to obtain fire and ambulance apparatus, and so much more that have negatively impacted the first responder community’s ability to provide critical essential services. Meanwhile, the number of fire and EMS companies closing their doors continues to grow.

My proposal will go a long way in providing both additional resources and incentives as well as rewarding mergers and consolidations by our fire and EMS services. It is my belief that more needs to be done to strengthen our fire and EMS delivery system.

To that end, I am introducing legislation to create a comprehensive grant program to incentivize consolidation of fire and EMS companies. In addition, this new comprehensive grant program will utilize funding appropriated by the General Assembly to provide small fire companies with 25 or less active members up to $25,000 every 3 years while also providing a consolidation incentive to Fire and EMS companies in which Fire companies receive a minimum of $150,000 for 2 companies merging and an additional $100,000 for each additional fire company joining in that merger up to a maximum of $500,000 while EMS Companies receive a minimum of $100,000 for 2 companies merging and an additional $50,000 for each additional EMS company joining in that merger up to a maximum of $250,000.

Please join me in sponsoring this critical legislation so that we may continue to support our first responder community and provide them funding, staffing, and training resources needed to continue keeping our communities safe by ensuring that critical and essential emergency services are adequately and readily available across the Commonwealth.