State Sen. Dan Laughlin is exploring the possibility of tapping into Pennsylvania’s prison system to help generate new firefighters for the state’s staff-starved volunteer service.
Laughlin, of Millcreek Township, R-49th Dist., said last week that he is in the process of setting up an appointment with Department of Corrections Secretary John E. Wetzel to continue a conversation they had about the “severe shortage” of volunteer firefighters across the state.
“I mentioned to him that if we could take prisoners at the Albion state prison and train them while they are in prison and incentivize them to take firefighter training while in prison, when they reenter their communities it gives them something for their resume, it involves them in their community in kind of a positive light and would hopefully fulfill some of the shortage of volunteer firefighters,” Laughlin said.