Volunteer firefighters are a staple of community protective services.
They put their own lives on the line to save the lives and properties of others. These grants would help volunteer fire departments in their never-ending struggle to raise money. Nonprofit volunteer ambulance services as well as volunteer fire departments would be eligible for grants under this legislation for equipment purchases, training, research studies or loan repayments. According to the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute, there are approximately 2,400 volunteer fire companies in Pennsylvania and more than 65,000 volunteers. However, Laughlin said that in addition to struggling every year to keep their budgets in the black, many companies have problems keeping up their volunteer rolls.