(TNS) — Fire and emergency medical service providers could see a doubling of funding for a state grant program that helps cover a variety of needs including equipment, construction and staffing.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said during a stop in Johnstown that he plans to propose boosting this year’s $30 million grant program to $60 million as part of his 2024-25 budget proposal that will be unveiled Feb. 6 at the Capitol.
“We’re going to increase the amount that’s coming here,” he said during a stop at West End Ambulance Service where he arrived with boxes of doughnuts for the crew. “I think we have to look at ways to see what we could do on salary and benefits for our professionals who are out trying to save lives every single day.”
The Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services grant program funded through gaming revenues provided grants of up to $20,000 to fire companies and $15,000 for EMS units this year. The money can be spent on a variety of needs from renovation or new construction, to training and retention/recruitment incentives.
The governor’s proposal will require legislative buy-in for it to become part of the final budget negotiated over the next five months. In the proposal’s favor is record tax revenue raised from gaming last year. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week reported gaming revenue generated more than $2.3 billion, besting the prior year’s record of $2.1 billion.
Nathan Harig, assistant chief of administration at Cumberland Goodwill EMS in Carlisle, said he appreciates any increase in support they can get from the government, the private sector and other grants, but added “we’d like people to know that with the cost to provide EMS service, the grants from the state just barely touch anything.”
The price tag on the stretcher system that every ambulance needs, for example, costs in excess of $40,000, he said. Moreover, he added his nonprofit independent agency, which serves the Greater Carlisle area, offers $15 an hour to new emergency medical technicians, but finds it hard to compete with nearby warehouses paying hourly wages of $19 and $20.
While some legislative changes such as requiring insurance companies to pay EMS agencies directly for ambulance service would do more to help EMS providers, Harig said they are grateful for any dollars that come their way, including this state grant program.
“It’s a great program. We would hate to see it taken away but it’s a drop in the bucket,” he said. “What you are seeing most EMS agencies do around the commonwealth is close, consolidate or go to extreme cost-saving measures” such as charging members for half the cost of an ambulance trip or limiting the number of trips they provide to a member.
Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder said the governor recognizes the value of investing in EMS providers as part of his focus on creating safer communities.
“This upcoming budget proposal will demonstrate a continued prioritizing and investing in support that law enforcement and EMS providers need to do their jobs and continue working every single day to keep Pennsylvanians safe,” Bonder said.
