Lower Burrell No. 3 fire Chief Brennan Sites is appreciative of what his city officials do when it comes to supporting his volunteer fire company.
But competing with rising costs for equipment and declines in volunteerism, the city is nearly tapped out when it comes to giving its two volunteer departments additional funding.
That’s where, Lower Burrell officials hope, new legislation proposed by state Rep. Abby Major, R-Ford City, can help.
Major is proposing legislation that, if approved, would amend the Third Class City Code to authorize those municipalities to levy an annual tax of up to 0.5 mills to support ambulance, rescue and other emergency services in their city.
Major said she is proposing the legislation at Lower Burrell’s request. A 0.5-mill tax in Lower Burrell, for example, generates $60,000.
The city’s budget has a $105,000 contractual obligation to its two fire departments and $90,000 in additional fire support with natural gas royalty money. It also has an $88,000 allocation for EMS.
Mayor Chris Fabry said that while he couldn’t speak for all of council, “I would certainly think everyone would entertain the idea to provide additional funds to our departments.”
He personally anticipates the city’s two fire departments — Kinloch and No. 3 — would receive their previous yearly allocation plus the additional tax revenue generated by the increase.
Boroughs and townships already have the ability to levy an annual tax to support emergency services, but cities do not have the same authorization, Major said.
She emphasized that the bill would not enact the tax but rather extend to third class cities the ability to create such a tax if needed.
“Funding for volunteer fire service — or any fire service in general — is very difficult,” Sites said. “Having the inability for the city to even propose that to residents is hard. Every fire department is struggling to survive.”
Evens the playing field
Major said thousands of municipalities and EMS entities statewide face a funding crisis.
“While these entities have their own subscription programs and fundraisers, the revenue still falls short of the rising costs of adequate pay and expensive but necessary equipment,” Major said. “These entities are looking to us to provide solutions to make sure our technicians are adequately paid and appropriately supplied with state-of-the-art lifesaving equipment.”
Such a levy might have prevented Jeannette EMS’s closure, according to City Manager Ethan Keedy. After serving the city for 60 years, Jeannette EMS closed abruptly in July 2023, primarily citing insufficient funding.
Jeannette contracts with Greensburg-based Mutual Aid for EMS services, paying $12,000 a year for that service.
“I think having the ability to do that would solve a lot of issues municipalities are facing,” Keedy said of Major’s proposal. “The ability to have it on the table is the biggest thing.”
Jeannette has a paid fire department, the only one left in Westmoreland County. It has three full-time firefighters, plus others paid by the call as well as volunteers. Its budget this year is a little over $600,000.
Lower Burrell’s Fabry said neighboring municipalities that are townships or boroughs already have this ability, so making it possible for third class cities to also enact the tax “certainly makes sense in terms of evening the playing field.”
“First-responder funding is a tremendous challenge to every community in the country,” Fabry said. “The city and departments have a tremendous relationship, and the city is committed to doing everything we can to assist them.
“While no one likes the word ‘tax,’ this proposal would give the city the ability to further increase support to those who risk their lives for our residents.”
New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo said ambulance service and first responders “deserve all of the support available.”
“All of our communities are searching for ways to secure funding to help them get the equipment they need to be able to perform their jobs and save lives,” he said.
New Kensington’s volunteer fire department has a budget line item of $120,000, said City Clerk Dennis Scarpiniti. The department also is housed in city buildings, and the equipment is covered under city insurance. The city also pays for its utilities.
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The ambulance service is a separate entity from the city. It has its own employer identification number, so it’s responsible to buy its own insurances, Scarpiniti said. But “we aid them as much as we can,” he said.
The city gives about $15,000 a year to the ambulance service.
Guzzo is also chairman of the Alle-Kiski Intergovernmental Council, which he said recognizes the funding crisis and challenges of ambulance and first responders. The council has developed a position paper for state officials outlining and addressing immediate and potential future needs.
“I think all of the third class cities could benefit from any additional source of funding for our first responders,” he said.
‘Broad support’
There are 53 third class cities in Pennsylvania. Excluding them from being able to enact an emergency services tax is outdated, Sites said.
“It’s important for our citizens to realize: We rely on them to be able to serve them,” Sites said. “Without funding, fire trucks wouldn’t be coming out the doors. Your fire department is not a paid fire department.”
Major assumes that cities were overlooked when the state authorized boroughs and townships to impose an emergency services tax because cities, due to their population and size, may have been able to budget for emergency services, unlike boroughs and townships.
But, she noted, some third class cities are very comparable to townships and boroughs. Lower Burrell, for example, has just under 12,000 residents.
And costs to operate a department continue to increase, Sites said. That includes training for volunteers and equipment and materials. All the while, call volumes have increased.
Sites said the city does what it can with financial support. He is happy that Major is proposing the bill.
“There has to be something done at the state level,” he said. “Fire is one thing, and EMS is in a crisis.”
Major said she landed on a half-mill because that’s the amount boroughs and townships can levy their emergency services tax up to, according to the state code. Anything more than a half-mill would need to be determined via ballot referendum.
State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, said local fire companies and EMS teams play a critical role in serving communities.
He said that, last year, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to reauthorize the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program for five years. That’s currently funded at $30 million and provides fire companies up to $20,000 and EMS companies up to $15,000.
“Additional conversations are certainly warranted to identify the best ways to offer increased support for emergency services,” he said. “However, while there may be limitations on third class cities levying a direct tax, there is no prohibition in what municipalities may provide to fire departments and EMS directly from their general fund budgets.”
Keedy said similar proposals discussed previously never made it to the finish line. But he thinks Jeannette residents would support the bill and that it could be a tool to help departments succeed.
Major’s bill advanced out of the House’s Local Government Committee by a 25-1 vote this month. Major thinks it can go through.
“It seems like it has pretty broad support,” she said.