HARRISBURG – State senators in Harrisburg approved legislation that would reauthorize the Fire Company & Emergency Services Grant Program for PA’s 1,829 fire companies and 1,259 EMS agencies. The program is set to expire on June 30. Currently funded at $30 million, the grant program provides fire companies up to $20,000 and EMS companies up to $15,000. Senate Bill 1099 would reauthorize the grant program for five years. It would also ask fire companies to provide additional contact information to ensure the State Fire Commissioner’s Office can stay in communication; eliminate the existing Firefighter 1 incentive, which has proven too cumbersome to administer; call for the utilization of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development Single Application for Assistance; and eliminate the outdated COVID-19 fire and EMS grants. The bill now heads to the state House for consideration.
