2023 Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes › Title 35 - HEALTH AND SAFETY › Chapter 78 - Grants to Fire Companies and Emergency Medical Services Companies › Section 7823 - Award of grants

§ 7823. Award of grants.
(a) Authorization.--
The commissioner is authorized to make a grant award to each eligible EMS company for the following:
(1) Construction and renovation of the EMS company's facilities and purchase or repair of fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the services to provide ambulance, emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life support services.
(2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
(3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
(4) Training and certification of members.
(5) Education of the general public regarding community risk reduction programs.
(6) Recruitment and retention programs, including, but not limited to, programs for minors.
(7) Revenue loss for grants issued in 2021 and 2022.
(b) Limits.--
(1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per EMS company.
(2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the total dollar amount of the approved application exceeds the amount of funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose.
(3) If two or more EMS companies consolidated their use of equipment, personnel and services within 20 years preceding the date of the current year application submission deadline, the consolidated entity shall be deemed eligible to receive a grant not to exceed the amount of the combined total for which the individual companies would have been eligible had they not consolidated.
(4) In a municipality where one volunteer fire company and one EMS company consolidate their use of equipment, personnel and services within 20 years preceding the date of the current year application submission deadline, the consolidated entity shall be deemed eligible to receive a grant not to exceed the amount of the combined total for which the individual companies would have been eligible had they not consolidated.
(b.1) Eligibility.--
To receive grant funds under this chapter, an EMS company must be designated by a municipality as the municipality's primary EMS provider.
(c) Time for filing application and department action.--
(1) By September 8 of each year, the commissioner shall provide applications and written instructions for grants under this chapter to the president or lead officer of every EMS company in this Commonwealth.
(2) EMS companies seeking grants under this chapter shall submit completed applications to the commissioner. The application period shall remain open for 45 days each year. The commissioner shall act to approve or disapprove applications within 60 days of the application submission deadline each year. Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by the commissioner within 60 days after the close of the application period each year shall be deemed approved.
(June 30, 2016, P.L.432, No.60, eff. imd.; Oct. 29, 2020, P.L.739, No.91, eff. 60 days; Nov. 3, 2022, P.L.1674, No.104)
2022 Amendment.
Act 104 amended subsec. (b)(1) and (3) and added subsec. (b)(4). Section 10 of Act 104 provided that the amendment of subsec. (b)(3) shall take effect in 60 days and immediately as to the remainder of the section.
2020 Amendment.
Act 91 amended subsecs. (a) and (c).
Cross References.
Section 7823 is referred to in sections 7802, 7827.3, 7842, 7894 of this title.