TodayIncentives worth it for local firefighters
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Editorial
Article RatingWe’ve talked about incentives to volunteer firefighters in this space before, and it seems federal and state legislators are starting to promote this idea as well.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., has a bill that would provide a $1,000-a-year federal tax credit to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who have at least one year of service.
Our own Congressman Todd Platts, D-19, has proposed a tax deduction to volunteer firefighters that can be used to pay for their protective clothing. He also has called for an increase in the mileage reimbursement to volunteers, as well as increased Pell grants for children of fallen police, fire and other first-response emergency workers.
Last month, Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill that gives a $100 state tax credit to volunteer firefighters. At the local level, the volunteers receive from Cumberland County a card good for discounts at local merchants.
Not all of these incentives will make it into law, but we doubt very much that taxpayers would consider any of these proposals out of line. Firefighting is a dangerous and intense undertaking, whether it’s a paid profession or a community outreach initiative for the people who take on this responsibility.
Unfortunately, the larger issue is whether these incentives are enough to ensure that non-paid fire departments can meet the needs of their communities. Recruiting new members is tougher than ever, most local fire chiefs agree, as younger able-bodied volunteers can find little time to devote to such an all-consuming occupation.
More people are working longer than 40 hours a week, while married people must balance their free time against the demands of filling two jobs, maintaining a home and getting their kids off to school and back from a wide array of extracurricular activities.
At the same time, the demand for volunteer firefighters is only increasing. Jerry Ozog, deputy fire chief for the Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Co., told The Sentinel that call volume has jumped 36 percent in the past six years. Adding to the difficulty of recruiting, most calls come in during daylight hours Monday through Friday, which is the time when most people are at work.
Ozog says his department is looking at offering assistance with college tuition and providing mileage and fire training reimbursements. That could run into a fair amount of money, though probably still a lot less than a paid fire department.
Commissioner Rick Rovegno has discussed the future possibility of a county-wide paid fire department with other local officials, though we’ve yet to hear much of a groundswell for the idea from county residents. The current system appears to work well enough from the outside, and that’s as much as most of us care to know.
Fortunately, our elected officials, as well as our volunteer fire chiefs, are looking ahead to the possibility that the system could fall short if current trends toward fewer volunteers and more fire calls continue. We don’t know if the incentives proposed by legislators will encourage more people to volunteer as firefighters, but we think they are well deserved regardless of whether they bring in more volunteers.
