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White introduces firefighter recruitment bill

2 min read

State Rep. Jesse White on Dec. 17 introduced legislation that would provide tuition waivers for the children of active volunteer firefighters, in an effort to attract more Pennsylvanians to volunteer firefighting.

Such waivers would apply to full-time tuition and fees at community colleges and state-owned institutions of higher learning.

White’s bill, H.B. 1926, would require active volunteer firefighters to serve for three years in order to earn one year of tuition-waiver credit. The earning of credits would occur in three-year increments and would be capped at 12 years of service – or the equivalent of four years of college for the child/student.

White said he was motivated to take up the issue after discussing recruitment and membership concerns with several local departments. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute estimates that nearly 400,000 volunteers dropped from the roles since the 1970s.

PFESI further estimates the value of a volunteer firefighter is $20.51 per hour, saving more than $6 billion a year in municipal budgets statewide.

“The value of a volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania cannot be understated – financially or as a lifesaver,” said White, D-Washington/Allegheny/Beaver. “Our willingness to help attract new volunteers and reward them for their services should be commensurate. Local communities depend on the brave men and women who put on the uniform to make our lives safer, and it’s time we work on real solutions to the problem of declining membership to ensure their services remain available moving forward.”

White said the child would have to meet all admission requirements of the approved institution to which application is made. Further, the student could only be pursuing undergraduate studies leading to an associate degree or a baccalaureate degree. The child would only become eligible for this benefit after he or she has applied for available scholarships and federal and state grants to cover tuition costs.

“This is not a giveaway, and the tuition credits will have to be earned,” White said. “But from the time a child enters the first grade to when he or she graduates high school, a volunteer firefighter can have enough tuition-waiver credits to pay their college tuition costs. It’s helping to fix the recruitment problem, protecting our local communities, and helping kids to get a good education. I believe it’s a win-win-win proposal.”

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