Acts 7

Acts 7, 8, 9, & 31 of 2008

Fire and EMS Funding

We've been talking about this legislation for a while, but it has been passed, was signed by the Governor, and is law May 17th. There were three separate Acts, one applies to second-class Townships, one to first-class Townships, and one to Boroughs. The City version was just passed (Act 31) on June 27, effective August 26th. This is the meat:

(a) - The municipality shall be responsible for ensuring that fire and emergency medical services are provided within the municipality by the means and to the extent determined by the municipality, including the appropriate financial and administrative assistance for these services.

(b) - The municipality shall consult with fire and emergency medical services providers to discuss the emergency services needs of the municipality.

(c) - The municipality shall require any emergency services organizations receiving municipal funds to provide to the municipality an annual itemized listing of all expenditures of these funds before the municipality may consider budgeting additional funding to the organization.

This means the municipality can choose what level of service they want - NFPA already has several levels. The municipality then choose which level to meet then must fund us to that level.

For those Fire Police who are turned down for funding from their FDs, this is a great time to get all the rules together and take them to the municipal manager. Target things like vests, proper signs and cones, helmets, etc. that the FD doesn't provide.