PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 117 PRINTER'S NO. 1545
No. 115 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY MESSRS. A. K. HUTCHINSON, LAUDADIO, MUSTO, MORRIS,
PETRARCA, KOLTER, DeMEDIO, DOMBROWSKI, ROMANELLI, MISCEVICH,
MENHORN, BONETTO, YAHNER, KLINGAMAN, KNEPPER, ABRAHAM,
O'KEEFE, GILLESPIE, W. W. FOSTER, SCHEAFFER, SHUPNIK, MRS.
GILLETTE, MESSRS. DAVIS, ZWIKL, MANDERINO, SALOOM, FEE, DOYLE,
LINCOLN, HALVERSON, VALICENTI, WANSACZ, TAYLOR, NOVAK,
BRADLEY, MILANOVICH,FISCHER, TADDONIO, TURNER, ZELLER,
CIMINI, LETTERMAN, STOUT, MRKONIC, GREEN AND LAUGHLIN,
JANUARY 27, 1975
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 2, 1975
AN ACT
1 Providing for grants or loans to volunteer fire companies for <--
2 the purpose of establishing or modernizing facilities that
3 house fire fighting APPARATUS equipment or purchasing new <--
4 fire fighting apparatus, PROTECTIVE AND COMMUNICATIONS <--
5 equipment and training; establishing a revolving fund for <--
6 such purpose; providing for the administration of the act by
7 the Department of Community Affairs; and making an
8 appropriation.
9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10 hereby enacts as follows:
11 Section 1. Short Title.--This act shall be known and may be
12 cited as the "Volunteer Fire Company Assistance Act."
13 Section 2. Definitions.--As used in this act:
14 "Apparatus equipment" means snorkel, pumpers, tankers, ladder
15 trucks, or AND other large equipment used for fire fighting. <--
16 "COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT" MEANS ANY VOICE OR ORIGINAL <--
17 TRANSMISSION SYSTEM REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS OF THE
1 VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY.
2 "Department" means the Department of Community Affairs of the
3 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
4 "Facilities" means facilities used to house fire fighting
5 APPARATUS equipment and shall not include meeting halls, social <--
6 rooms, or any other facilities not directly related to fire
7 fighting.
8 "PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT" MEANS ANY EQUIPMENT USED BY FIRE <--
9 FIGHTERS TO PROTECT THEIR PERSON FROM INJURY WHILE PERFORMING
10 THEIR FUNCTION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HELMETS, TURNOUT
11 COATS AND PANTS, BOOTS, EYESHIELDS, GLOVES AND SELF-CONTAINED
12 RESPIRATORY PROTECTION UNITS.
13 "Volunteer fire company" means any nonprofit chartered
14 corporation, association, or organization located in this
15 Commonwealth which provides fire protection within this
16 Commonwealth.
17 "Volunteer Fire Company Grant or Loan Fund" means the fund <--
18 established under section 4 of this act.
19 Section 3. Assistance to Volunteer Fire Companies.--(a) The
20 department is hereby authorized, upon application of any
21 volunteer fire company, to make grants or loans to said <--
22 volunteer fire company for the purpose of establishing or <--
23 modernizing facilities that house fire fighting apparatus
24 FOLLOWING PURPOSES: <--
25 (1) ESTABLISHING OR MODERNIZING FACILITIES THAT HOUSE FIRE
26 FIGHTING APPARATUS equipment. At no time shall the grant exceed <--
27 50% of the cost incurred nor be in excess of $50,000, whichever
28 is less, to establish or modernize facilities that house fire
29 fighting equipment or purchase OR PURCHASING new fire fighting <--
30 apparatus equipment. The amount of a loan made to any one
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1 volunteer fire company shall not exceed $150,000. 75% OF THE <--
2 TOTAL COST. THE TOTAL LOAN SHALL NOT EXCEED $150,000.
3 (b) Prior to approving a grant, the volunteer fire company <--
4 must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department that they
5 have the financial resources or can obtain the financial
6 resources for complete payment of establishing or modernizing
7 facilities that house fire fighting equipment or purchasing new
8 fire fighting apparatus equipment.
9 (2) PURCHASING PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AS DEFINED IN THIS ACT. <--
10 NO FIRE COMPANY SHALL RECEIVE A GRANT FOR PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
11 MORE THAN ONCE IN ANY FIVE-YEAR PERIOD.
12 (3) PURCHASING COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT SUBJECT TO THE
13 FOLLOWING LIMITATIONS: EACH VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY MAY APPLY FOR
14 ONE MOBILE OR PORTABLE RADIO UNIT PER EXISTING SERVICEABLE
15 APPARATUS EQUIPMENT AS DEFINED IN SECTION 2. ANY RADIO EQUIPMENT
16 OBTAINED THROUGH GRANTS OR LOANS UNDER THIS ACT SHALL BE
17 EQUIPPED WITH A FREQUENCY OR FREQUENCIES LICENSED BY THE FEDERAL
18 COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION FOR FIRE FIGHTING PURPOSES.
19 (c) (B) Loans made by the department shall be for a period <--
20 of not more than 10 years AT AN INTEREST RATE OF 2% PER ANNUM <--
21 and shall be subject to such security as shall be determined by
22 the department.
23 (d) Grants and loans (C) LOANS made by the department shall <--
24 be paid from the Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund to <--
25 the volunteer fire companies in such a manner determined by the <--
26 department. IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS <--
27 PROMULGATED BY THE DEPARTMENT.
28 (e) (D) All payments of interest on said loans and the <--
29 principal thereof shall be deposited by the department in the
30 Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund. <--
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1 (E) A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A LOAN <--
2 UNDER THIS ACT REGARDLESS OF LEGAL OWNERSHIP IN WHOLE OR PART BY
3 ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF ANY FACILITIES OR APPARATUS
4 EQUIPMENT USED BY THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY.
5 Section 4. Volunteer Fire Company Loan.--(a) There is hereby
6 created a special fund in the Treasury Department to be known as
7 the Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund to which shall be <--
8 credited all appropriations made by the General Assembly to the
9 department as well as repayment of principal and interest on
10 loans made pursuant to this act.
11 (b) The department may requisition from time to time UPON <--
12 APPROVAL OF THE LOAN THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ROUTINELY REQUISITION
13 from the Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund such amounts <--
14 as shall be allocated by the department for grants or loans to <--
15 volunteer fire companies. When and as the amounts so allocated
16 by the department as loans to volunteer fire companies are
17 repaid to the department pursuant to the terms of the agreements
18 made and entered into with the department, the department shall
19 pay such amounts into the Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan <--
20 Fund, it being the intent of this act that the Volunteer Fire
21 Company Grant and Loan Fund shall operate as a revolving fund <--
22 whereby all appropriations and payments made thereto may be
23 applied and reapplied to the purposes of this act.
24 (c) At any time that the department shall determine that
25 funds held in the Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund are <--
26 in excess of the amount needed by the department to carry out
27 the purposes of this act, the department may take such action as
28 shall be required to release such excess from the Volunteer Fire
29 Company Grant and Loan Fund and transfer the same to the General <--
30 Fund in the Treasury Department.
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1 Section 5. Powers and Duties of the Department.--The powers
2 and duties shall be:
3 (1) To appoint agents, employees, and servants; and to
4 prescribe their duties and to fix their compensation within the
5 limitations provided by law;
6 (2) To accept grants from the Federal Government and any
7 other individual, agency, or government for use in the Volunteer
8 Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund; <--
9 (3) To direct the Department of Community Affairs of the
10 Commonwealth to take title to any piece of property which acts
11 as security for any outstanding loan;
12 (4) To require all loans to be secured in such a manner that
13 the Department of Community Affairs would have a first priority <--
14 ADEQUATE SECURITY in case of any default or foreclosure; <--
15 (5) To loan money over a term of years, but in no case in
16 excess of 10 years;
17 (6) To require, whenever possible, consolidation or mutual <--
18 aid agreements between communities in the utilization of
19 volunteer fire companies; and
20 (7) To promulgate such rules and regulations as it deems
21 necessary to carry out its powers and duties under this act.
22 Section 6. Appropriation.--The sum of $5,000,000, or as much
23 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the
24 Volunteer Fire Company Grant and Loan Fund for the purposes set <--
25 forth in the implementation of this act. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY <--
26 SHALL APPROPRIATE AS MUCH MONEY AS MAY BE NECESSARY FROM TIME TO
27 TIME TO KEEP THE FUND OPERATIONAL.
28 Section 7. Effective Date.--This act shall take effect
29 immediately.
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