PRINTER'S NO. 65
No. 71 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY HOLL, JANUARY 23, 2001
REFERRED TO FINANCE, JANUARY 23, 2001
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of June 11, 1968 (P.L.149, No.84), entitled, as 2 amended, "An act relating to volunteer firefighters' relief 3 associations, clarifying their purposes and objectives, 4 establishing criteria and standards for the conduct of their 5 affairs, providing for their formation, recognition, 6 continuing operation, and for their dissolution in 7 appropriate circumstances and the distribution of their 8 funds," further providing for the use of funds. 9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 10 hereby enacts as follows: 11 Section 1. Section 6(e) of the act of June 11, 1968 12 (P.L.149, No.84), known as the Volunteer Firefighters' Relief 13 Association Act, amended December 22, 1993 (P.L.547, No.78), is 14 amended to read: 15 Section 6. Funds.--* * * 16 (e) The funds of any volunteer firefighters' relief 17 association may be spent: 18 (1) To pay for such normal and reasonable running expenses 19 as may be appropriate to the businesslike conduct of its affairs 20 including legal fees and including but not by way of limitation
1 the rental or purchase of offices, the payment of reasonable 2 compensation of any needed employes, and the purchase of office 3 equipment and supplies. 4 (2) To purchase contracts of insurance which shall at the 5 least afford financial assistance to active members of the fire 6 service represented by the association against losses due to 7 injury suffered in the fire service and which may also provide 8 in the order named, (i) for payments to the surviving spouse or 9 other dependents of a member in the event of the member's death, 10 (ii) for protection of active firefighters against disease, 11 (iii) for the replacement or purchase of prosthetic devices such 12 as visual aids, hearing aids, dentures, braces, crutches, and 13 the like, where such devices have been lost or damaged while the 14 owner was engaged in the fire service or where the need for such 15 devices arises because of functional impairment attributable to 16 participation in the fire service, (iv) for the repair or 17 replacement if necessary of articles of clothing or pocket 18 pagers damaged or lost in the course of participation in the 19 fire service, and (v) for disability incurred after service for 20 a minimum of twenty years as a volunteer firefighter. 21 (3) To maintain a beneficiary or death benefit fund and to 22 pay a sum certain from that fund to the beneficiary of any 23 participant in that fund upon his or her death. In the event a 24 beneficiary is not designated or a designated one has 25 predeceased the participant, the sum certain shall be paid to 26 the estate of the participant. 27 (4) To pay in full or in part for damage or loss in any of 28 the categories mentioned in clause (2) above in any specific 29 case in which (i) no policy of insurance is in force which 30 covers the risk, or (ii) the amount payable under insurance 20010S0071B0065 - 2 -
1 policies in force is inadequate to cover the loss. 2 (5) To pay the costs of procuring and forwarding tokens of 3 sympathy and goodwill. To a volunteer firefighter who may be ill 4 or hospitalized as a result of participation in the fire service 5 or who may die or who may be seriously ill for any reason. 6 (6) To make cash payments to families in distressed 7 circumstances by reason of age, infirmities or other 8 disabilities suffered by one of the family in the course of his 9 or her participation in the fire service as a volunteer 10 firefighter. 11 (7) To acquire and maintain membership in any Statewide 12 association or corporation which extends advice and assistance 13 to firefighters' relief associations in the conduct of their 14 affairs and to pay reasonable expenses of travel and maintenance 15 to a duly elected delegate for attendance at such meetings of 16 such Statewide association or corporation. 17 (8) To contribute or to purchase contracts of insurance 18 which will contribute towards the costs of rehabilitating and 19 retraining volunteer firefighters who by reason of their 20 participation in the fire service have suffered a major 21 impairment of their ability to continue their vocation. 22 (9) To pay for medical and surgical bills arising from 23 injuries sustained by volunteer firefighters while engaged in 24 activities of the fire company to the extent that said bills are 25 not covered by insurance provided by the relief association. 26 (10) To pay reasonable expenses actually and necessarily 27 incurred for attending bona fide firefighters' training schools. 28 (11) To purchase safeguards for preserving life, health, and 29 safety of volunteer firefighters, so as to ensure their 30 availability to participate in the volunteer fire service. 20010S0071B0065 - 3 -
1 (12) To secure insurance against the legal liability of the 2 volunteer firefighters for loss and expense from claims arising 3 out of the performance of their official, authorized duties 4 while going to, returning from or attending fires or while 5 performing their duties as special fire police. 6 (13) To maintain comprehensive health, physical fitness and 7 physical monitoring programs that provide for physical fitness 8 activities, nutrition education and instruction and health and 9 fitness evaluation and monitoring. The programs shall be 10 approved by the nearest State-licensed health care facility 11 which is authorized to provide the service. 12 (14) To purchase exercise and fitness equipment for use by 13 volunteer firefighters. Expenditures for exercise and fitness 14 equipment shall not, however, exceed $2,000 in any two-year 15 period. 16 (15) To purchase fire hose and nozzles. 17 (16) To purchase fire prevention materials for public 18 distribution. 19 (17) To provide scholarships for active volunteer 20 firefighters serving in a Pennsylvania community while enrolled 21 full-time or part-time as an undergraduate or graduate student 22 at a Pennsylvania degree-granting institution. The scholarships 23 may be awarded to the extent that funds are appropriated by the 24 General Assembly for that purpose. 25 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. L13L53JS/20010S0071B0065 - 4 -