A bill to address the volunteer firefighter shortage passed the state senate earlier this week.
Senate Bill 466 will allow job training credits to count toward Firefighter I certification, giving volunteer recruits a more flexible path towards their credentialing. The bill also corrects an administrative error that resulted in some grants for a number of fire companies and emergency medical services being rescinded. Many fire departments in Pennsylvania had already budgeted for those funds, but with the error, those funds were never sent. To make sure a similar issue doesn’t happen again, the bill will also establish a one-time 15-day grace period every three years for fire and EMS organizations to submit required reports without needing to demonstrate undue hardship.
The bill passed unanimously and is now in the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the state house.
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