House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

Posted:	December 12, 2022 09:28 AM
From:	Representative Dan L. Miller and Rep. John T. Galloway, Rep. Maureen E. Madden
To:	All House members
Subject:	State Grants for Firefighter Turnout Gear

Pennsylvania has more fire departments than any other state, yet our number of firefighters has been in decline for decades. Too many are required to do fundraising, which according to a 2019 report by the York Daily Record, can take up to 60% of a firefighter’s time. This is ridiculous. The state needs to do more, and literally covering the backs for our firefighters is a good start. Our legislation would establish a reimbursement program with the State Fire Commissioner’s office to cover the cost of turnout gear for all eligible firefighters. To be eligible, firefighters would be required to earn their Firefighter 2 certification and be in good standing with their fire company. The gear could be replaced every five years, or if it was damaged beyond repair through incident response or related training. The intent of this bill is to help all of our departments be prepared for any emergency, and to help them focus on training instead of fundraising. The program would be open to volunteer and career departments. Please consider supporting this legislation to help all of our departments be ready to answer the call. A draft of our bill is attached.
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Introduced as HB182