House Bill 906, sponsored by Bryan Lentz (D-161), seeks to renew the Volunteer Fire Company and the Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant program through 2012. The direct state grant program provides grants to volunteer fire, rescue and emergency medical services organizations for upgrading equipment, training volunteers, renovating buildings, or reducing debt from qualified purchases.

The grant program had expired in 2006. It was a critical source of funding for communities like Nether Providence. In the previous grant cycle, volunteer fire companies and EMS units in Delaware County received over $640,000 in grants. Among them were Nether Providence’s own Garden City Fire Co. ($12,654) and South Media Fire Co. ($10,761).

Failure to renew the program in 2007 would leave almost every Delaware County community scrambling to keep their emergency services funded appropriately.