To stem the tide of declining membership and award volunteers, the state House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee approved legislation last week to expand the use of volunteer relief money for volunteer firefighters.
House Bill 1673 would create the Length of Service Award Program to provide tax-deferred income benefits to active volunteer firefighters, and expand the use of relief funds to include assistance and materials for volunteer recruitment and retention.
The bill, which will head to the House in October, is sponsored by state Rep. Frank Farry, who has served as chief of Langhorne-Middletown Fire Co. for nearly 20 years.
“Our volunteer firefighters work tirelessly to protect our communities, the least we can do is assist them in any way possible,” said Farry, R-142, of Langhorne.