{"id":2266750,"date":"2024-06-13T09:52:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T13:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/potential-30m-boost-for-fire-ems-may-not-be-enough\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T09:58:03","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T13:58:03","slug":"potential-30m-boost-for-fire-ems-may-not-be-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/potential-30m-boost-for-fire-ems-may-not-be-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"$30M increase for fire, EMS might still fall short"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpotential-30m-boost-for-fire-ems-may-not-be-enough%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2266750&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania \u2062has proposed an \u200badditional $30 million in funding \u200cto \u2062support \u2063fire companies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/capitol-police-dismiss-panic-that-led-to-shelter-in-place-as-bogus-call\/\" title=\"Capitol police label shelter in place panic as 'false alarm'.\">emergency medical\u200b services<\/a> (EMS). During a House hearing, Deputy State Fire Commissioner J.C.\u200b Tedorski detailed the \u2063allocation plan for this funding. The proposed budget\u2062 includes distributing half \u200cof \u2064the funds to 2,400 fire and EMS companies that apply for grants.\u200b Additionally, $7.8 \u2063million \u2062would support grants for counties to explore regionalization and enhance recruitment and retention, while $6 million\u200c would \u2062aid quick-response EMS groups. The remaining $1.2 million is earmarked for specialized \u200bemergency service teams. \u2062The hearing underscored ongoing concerns about labor shortages, increased operational\u200b costs,\u2063 and irregular funding that \u2064have led to some \u2062service shutdowns and a potential crisis in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-ca-gov-overstepped-his-authority-with-covid-order-issues-permanent-injunction-restraining-newsom-from-further-issuing-unconstitutional-orders\/\" title=\"Judge Rules CA Gov Overstepped His Authority with Covid Order, Issues Permanent Injunction Restraining Newsom From Further Issuing Unconstitutional Orders\">emergency services<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square) \u2014 Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed another $30 million to boost fire companies and emergency medical services, but legislators are concerned about how state leaders want to divvy up the money.<\/p>\n<p>During a Wednesday House hearing of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, Deputy State Fire Commissioner J.C. Tedorski laid out how the Office of State Fire Commissioner wants to spend the potential funding.<\/p>\n<p>Half the money would go to increase the base amount available to 2,400 fire and EMS companies that apply for grant funding; $7.8 million (26%) would go as grants to counties to study regionalization attempts and recruitment\/retention efforts; $6 million (20%) would go to a separate program for quick-response service for EMS groups licensed by the Department of Health.<\/p>\n<p>The rest, $1.2 million, would go for specialty emergency service teams.<\/p>\n<p>EMS funding has been a recurring problem statewide. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/pennsylvania\/article_ab7182f4-2d71-11ee-a551-cfdd9daba0d1.html\">Labor shortages<\/a><\/strong>, higher costs, and a lack of steady funding have pushed some companies to shut down and officials have warned of an impending crisis.<\/p>\n<p>After Tedorski explained the plan, legislators reiterated those problems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a little worried that $6 million isn\u2019t enough. That\u2019s about $12,500 roughly per squad,\u201d Rep. Paul Takac, D-State College, said. \u201cIf you look at the $7.8 million for the regionalization effort \u2014 we have 67 counties, that\u2019s $116,000 for each of those.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The financial troubles have pushed some companies <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfmj.com\/story\/50893848\/boardman-officials-hold-public-meeting-to-consider-ems-levy\">to ask for local levies<\/a><\/strong> to keep ambulance crews operating. Many townships and communities across Pennsylvania don\u2019t have a dedicated funding stream for EMS services.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur rural EMS agencies really do need a lot of help,\u201d Takac said. \u201cWhen you travel on our interstates or go to camps or to state parks, you do not bring your level of fire and EMS coverage with you from your home. You are reliant on the services that are available locally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regionalization has been pushed as a potential solution to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/with-6-trillion-in-covid-relief-the-government-could-have-given-every-taxpayer-41000\/\" title=\"With  Trillion In COVID Relief, The Government Could Have Given Every Taxpayer ,000\">budget holes<\/a> and worker shortages, but some legislators argued not every area is ready for regionalization. Others have more pressing needs before restructuring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have talked to EMS after EMS and I\u2019m hearing they can\u2019t hire,\u201d Rep. Jim Haddock, D-Hughestown, said.<\/p>\n<p>The Office of State Fire Commissioner is willing to discuss the funding allotments, Tedorski said, but their current proposal focuses more on funding fire companies. Both fire and EMS have warned legislators of their financial problems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe $20,000 as a base payment to our local firefighters is not enough,\u201d Rep. Dane Watro, R-Hazleton, said. \u201cI meet with them regularly on a weekly basis and they\u2019re struggling, they\u2019re hurting. This weekend they\u2019re having their annual bazaar \u2014 flipping potato cakes, making pierogies \u2014 just trying to raise money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that renews the grant program. It awaits consideration in the House.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed an additional $30 million for fire companies and EMS. However, legislators questioned the allocation method during a House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee hearing. Deputy State Fire Commissioner J.C. Tedorski explained the details on Wednesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2266751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24039028310533-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2266750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24039028310533-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2266750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2266750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2266751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2266750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2266750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2266750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}