PRINTER'S NO. 1034
No. 948 Session of 1979
INTRODUCED BY M. H. GEORGE, CESSAR, J. L. WRIGHT, JR., BURNS,
WEIDNER, A. K. HUTCHINSON, GALLAGHER, RODGERS, DOMBROWSKI,
MRKONIC, DUFFY, ZELLER, ZWIKL, AUSTIN, DAWIDA, MICHLOVIC,
KERNICK, GRABOWSKI, COWELL, KNIGHT AND GAMBLE, MARCH 28, 1979
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MARCH 28, 1979
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of July 15, 1976 (P.L.1036, No.208), entitled
2 "An act authorizing the indebtedness, with the approval of
3 the electors, of ten million dollars for loans to volunteer
4 fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer
5 rescue squads for the purpose of establishing or modernizing
6 facilities to house fire fighting apparatus equipment,
7 ambulances, and rescue vehicles, and for purchasing new fire
8 fighting apparatus equipment, ambulances, and rescue
9 vehicles, protective and communications equipment, and any
10 other accessory equipment necessary for the proper
11 performance of such organizations' duties," extending
12 assistance in the form of loans for purchase of certain used
13 equipment.
14 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
15 hereby enacts as follows:
16 Section 1. Subsections (a) and (d) of section 4, act of July
17 15, 1976 (P.L.1036, No.208), known as the "Volunteer Fire
18 Company, Ambulance Service and Rescue Squad Assistance Act,"
19 amended September 22, 1978 (P.L.767, No.145), are amended to
20 read:
21 Section 4. Assistance to Volunteer Fire Companies, Ambulance
22 Service and Rescue Squads.--(a) The department is hereby
1 authorized, upon application of any volunteer fire company,
2 volunteer ambulance service and volunteer rescue squad, to make
3 loans to said volunteer companies for the following purposes:
4 (1) Establishing or modernizing facilities that house fire
5 fighting equipment, ambulance or rescue vehicles. The amount of
6 a loan for establishing or modernizing facilities made to any
7 one volunteer fire company, ambulance service or rescue squad
8 shall not exceed 50% of the total cost of the facilities or
9 modernization or $40,000, whichever is less, and a notarized
10 financial statement filed under subsection (c) shall show that
11 the applicant has available 20% of the total cost of the
12 facilities in unobligated funds. Proceeds of the loan shall be
13 used only for purposes of land acquisition or construction, and
14 shall not be used for payment of fees for design, planning,
15 preparation of applications, or any other cost not directly
16 attributable to land acquisition or construction.
17 (2) Purchasing fire fighting apparatus, ambulances or rescue
18 vehicles. The amount of a loan made for purchasing fire fighting
19 apparatus, ambulances, or rescue vehicles to any one volunteer
20 fire company shall not exceed $35,000 for any single fire
21 fighting apparatus equipment, or 50% of the total cost of the
22 equipment, whichever is less. The amount of a loan made to any
23 one volunteer fire company, ambulance service or rescue squad
24 for any ambulance or rescue vehicle shall not exceed $15,000 or
25 50% of the cost of the ambulance or rescue vehicle, whichever is
26 less, and a notarized financial statement filed under subsection
27 (c) shall show that the applicant has available 20% of the total
28 cost of the vehicle in unobligated funds.
29 (3) Purchasing protective, accessory or communication
30 equipment. No volunteer fire company, ambulance service or
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1 rescue squad shall receive a loan for protective, accessory or
2 communicative equipment more than once in any five-year period.
3 Each volunteer fire company, ambulance service or rescue squad
4 may apply for a loan for mobile and portable radio unit for each
5 existing serviceable apparatus equipment, ambulance, or rescue
6 vehicle. Radio equipment obtained through loans under this act
7 shall be equipped with a frequency or frequencies licensed by
8 the Federal Communications Commission for fire fighting or
9 emergency response purpose. A notarized financial statement
10 shall be filed and loans under this act for the purchase of
11 protective, accessory or communicative equipment shall not
12 exceed $5,000.
13 (4) Refinancing debt incurred or contracts entered into
14 between November 4, 1975 and July 1, 1978 inclusive and used for
15 the purchase of apparatus equipment or for the construction or
16 modernization of facilities or for modification of apparatus
17 equipment in order to comply with National Fire Protection
18 Association standards.
19 (5) Repair or rehabilitation of apparatus equipment. Where
20 it has been determined that existing apparatus equipment no
21 longer meets the standards of the National Fire Protection
22 Association (NFPA), and the repair and/or rehabilitation of such
23 equipment will bring it in compliance with NFPA standards; loans
24 for the repair or rehabilitation for a single apparatus
25 equipment shall not be for less than $5,000 or more than $35,000
26 or 80% of the total cost of repair or rehabilitation whichever
27 is less.
28 (6) Purchasing of used fire fighting apparatus, equipment,
29 used ambulances, used rescue vehicles, used communications
30 equipment, used accessory equipment or used protective
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1 equipment: Provided, however, That the used vehicles and
2 equipment shall meet the National Fire Protection Association
3 (NFPA) standards.
4 Loans under this act may be made for any of the purposes of
5 this subsection undertaken by a volunteer fire company,
6 volunteer ambulance service and volunteer rescue squad on or
7 after November 4, 1975, the date of the approval of the
8 referendum approving the borrowing of money for the purposes of
9 this act.
10 * * *
11 (d) Loans under this act shall be used for the acquisition
12 by volunteer companies of new or used apparatus equipment, new
13 or used ambulances, new or used rescue vehicles, new or used
14 communications equipment, new or used accessory equipment or new
15 or used protective equipment, or for the construction or
16 modernization of facilities and except as provided in subsection
17 (a)(4), shall not be used for operating expenses or for the
18 refinancing of construction or modernization of facilities,
19 apparatus equipment, communication equipment, accessory
20 equipment, nor except as provided in subsection (a)(4) shall
21 under this act be made or used to reduce any debt or other
22 obligations issued prior to the effective date of this act.
23 * * *
24 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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