PRINTER'S NO. 910
No. 809 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY LOGAN, HUGHES, LAVALLE, WAGNER, STACK, KUKOVICH,
MOWERY, O'PAKE, BOSCOLA, FUMO, MUSTO, SCHWARTZ, KASUNIC AND
COSTA, APRIL 23, 2001
REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 23, 2001
AN ACT
1 Establishing a grant program for municipal fire companies and
2 municipal ambulance services; and making an appropriation.
3 TABLE OF CONTENTS
4 Chapter 1. Preliminary Provisions
5 Section 101. Short title.
6 Section 102. Definitions.
7 Chapter 3. Municipal Fire Company Grant Program
8 Section 301. Establishment.
9 Section 302. Guidelines and procedures.
10 Section 303. Award of grants.
11 Section 304. Reserve funds.
12 Chapter 5. Municipal Ambulance Service Grant Program
13 Section 501. Establishment.
14 Section 502. Guidelines and procedures.
15 Section 503. Award of grants.
16 Section 504. Reserve funds.
17 Chapter 7. Grant Funding Provisions
1 Section 701. Municipal Fire Company Grant Program.
2 Section 702. Municipal Ambulance Service Grant Program.
3 Section 703. Restriction.
4 Chapter 9. Miscellaneous Provisions
5 Section 901. Expiration of authority.
6 Section 902. Effective date.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 CHAPTER 1
10 PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS
11 Section 101. Short title.
12 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Municipal
13 Fire Company and Municipal Ambulance Service Grant Act.
14 Section 102. Definitions.
15 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
16 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17 context clearly indicates otherwise:
18 "Advanced life support services." The term shall have the
19 meaning given to it in the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45),
20 known as the Emergency Medical Services Act.
21 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
22 "Basic life support services." The term shall have the
23 meaning given to it in the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45),
24 known as the Emergency Medical Services Act.
25 "Commissioner." The State Fire Commissioner.
26 "Eligible municipality." A municipality that has established
27 and currently operates and maintains a municipal fire company or
28 a municipal ambulance service.
29 "Facility." A structure or portion thereof intended for the
30 purpose of storage or protection of firefighting apparatus,
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1 ambulances and rescue vehicles and related equipment and gear.
2 The term does not include meeting halls, social halls, social
3 rooms, lounges or any other facility not directly related to
4 firefighting or the furnishing of ambulance or rescue services.
5 "Grant program." The Municipal Fire Company Grant Program
6 established in Chapter 3 or the Municipal Ambulance Service
7 Grant Program established in Chapter 5.
8 "Invalid coach." The term shall have the meaning given to it
9 in the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the
10 Emergency Medical Services Act.
11 "Municipal ambulance service." An ambulance service that is
12 maintained and operated by a municipality for the purpose of
13 conveying sick and injured persons to and from hospitals which
14 are located in and in the vicinity of the municipality. This
15 term shall be limited to those ambulance services that were not
16 eligible for grants under the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477,
17 No.66), known as the Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer
18 Ambulance Service Grant Act.
19 "Municipal fire company." A fire company that is operated
20 and maintained by a municipality for the purpose of fighting
21 fires and providing fire protection within and in the vicinity
22 of the municipality. This term shall be limited to those fire
23 companies that were not eligible for grants under the act of
24 June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66), known as the Volunteer Fire
25 Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act.
26 "Municipality." Any county, city, borough, incorporated town
27 or township.
28 CHAPTER 3
29 MUNICIPAL FIRE COMPANY GRANT PROGRAM
30 Section 301. Establishment.
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1 The Municipal Fire Company Grant Program is hereby
2 established and shall be administered by the agency in
3 consultation with the commissioner. Grants provided under this
4 program shall be used to improve and enhance the capabilities of
5 the municipal fire company to provide firefighting, ambulance
6 and rescue services.
7 Section 302. Guidelines and procedures.
8 The agency shall develop guidelines, procedures and all
9 applications necessary to implement the grant program. The
10 agency shall submit the guidelines, procedures and applications
11 to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the
12 Pennsylvania Bulletin within 30 days of the effective date of
13 this section.
14 Section 303. Award of grants.
15 (a) Purposes of grants.--The agency is hereby authorized to
16 make a one-time grant award to an eligible municipality that
17 currently operates and maintains a municipal fire company for
18 the following purposes:
19 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
20 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
21 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
22 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
23 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
24 equipment or purchase thereof.
25 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
26 (b) Amount of grants.--
27 (1) Grants shall equal $15,000 per eligible
28 municipality.
29 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
30 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
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1 amount of funds allocated in section 701.
2 (c) Applications for grants.--
3 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
4 under this act to the governing body of every eligible
5 municipality that currently operates and maintains a
6 municipal fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July
7 1, 2001.
8 (2) Eligible municipalities that maintain and operate
9 municipal fire companies seeking grants under this act shall
10 submit completed applications to the agency on or before
11 September 1, 2001. The agency shall act to approve or
12 disapprove the application by October 1, 2001. Applications
13 which have not been approved or disapproved by the agency by
14 October 4, 2001, shall be deemed approved.
15 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1, 2001,
16 deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants may be
17 awarded at the discretion of the agency from the reserve fund
18 set aside under section 304.
19 (d) Eligibility.--For an eligible municipality to receive
20 grant funds under this chapter, the municipal fire company shall
21 have actively responded to one or more fire emergencies since
22 July 1, 2000.
23 Section 304. Reserve funds.
24 (a) Reserve for grants.--The agency shall reserve an amount
25 not to exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 701 for the
26 grant program established under this chapter for the purposes of
27 awarding grants to eligible municipalities for municipal fire
28 companies that submit applications after September 1, 2001, that
29 would have otherwise been eligible for and been awarded a grant
30 under the grant program.
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1 (b) Limitation.--No eligible municipality may receive a
2 grant from reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount
3 that it would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
4 CHAPTER 5
5 MUNICIPAL AMBULANCE SERVICE GRANT PROGRAM
6 Section 501. Establishment.
7 The Municipal Ambulance Service Grant Program is hereby
8 established and shall be administered by the agency. Grants
9 provided under this program shall be used to improve and enhance
10 the capabilities of the municipal ambulance services to provide
11 ambulance, emergency medical, basic life support and advanced
12 life support services.
13 Section 502. Guidelines and procedures.
14 The agency shall develop guidelines, procedures and all
15 applications necessary to implement the grant program. The
16 agency shall submit the guidelines, procedures and applications
17 to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the
18 Pennsylvania Bulletin and Pennsylvania Code within 30 days of
19 the effective date of this act.
20 Section 503. Award of grants.
21 (a) Purpose of grants.--The agency is hereby authorized to
22 make a one-time grant award to every eligible municipality that
23 currently operates and maintains a municipal ambulance service
24 for the following purposes:
25 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the municipal
26 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of
27 fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the
28 capability of the ambulance service to provide ambulance,
29 emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life
30 support services.
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1 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
2 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
3 (b) Amount of grants.--
4 (1) Grants shall equal $2,500 per eligible municipality.
5 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
6 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
7 amount of funds allocated in section 702.
8 (c) Applications for grants.--
9 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
10 under this act to the governing body of every eligible
11 municipality that operates and maintains a municipal
12 ambulance service in this Commonwealth on or before July 1,
13 2001.
14 (2) Eligible municipalities that maintain and operate
15 municipal ambulance companies seeking grants under this act
16 shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
17 before September 1, 2001. The agency shall act to approve or
18 disapprove the application by October 1, 2001. Applications
19 which have not been approved or disapproved by the agency by
20 October 4, 2001, shall be deemed approved.
21 Section 504. Reserve funds.
22 (a) Reserve for grants.--The agency shall reserve an amount
23 not to exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 702 for the
24 grant program established under this chapter for the purposes of
25 awarding grants to eligible municipalities for municipal
26 ambulance services that submit applications after September 1,
27 2001, that would have otherwise been eligible for and been
28 awarded a grant under the grant program.
29 (b) Limitation.--No eligible municipality may receive a
30 grant from reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount
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1 that it would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
2 CHAPTER 7
3 GRANT FUNDING PROVISIONS
4 Section 701. Municipal Fire Company Grant Program.
5 The sum of $1,020,000 is appropriated to the Pennsylvania
6 Emergency Management Agency from the General Fund for the
7 purpose of making grants to eligible municipalities for
8 municipal fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3.
9 Section 702. Municipal Ambulance Service Grant Program.
10 The sum of $1,480,000 is appropriated to the Pennsylvania
11 Emergency Management Agency from the General Fund for the
12 purpose of making grants to eligible municipalities for
13 municipal ambulance services pursuant to Chapter 5.
14 Section 703. Restriction.
15 No moneys from the appropriation for grants to municipalities
16 for municipal fire companies and municipal ambulance services
17 shall be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for
18 the administration of the grant programs authorized under
19 Chapters 3 and 5.
20 CHAPTER 9
21 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
22 Section 901. Expiration of authority.
23 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
24 and 5 shall expire June 30, 2002.
25 Section 902. Effective date.
26 This act shall take effect immediately.
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