Crisis Management Agencies Facing Crises
Through EMAC, Pennsylvania sends individuals or teams to respond to emergencies in other states, like Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. Funds used to extend the resources are later compensated by the receiving state. The compact goes both ways in the event of major disasters in Pennsylvania.
As a “resource rich” state, Padfield spoke highly of the program and the opportunities it gives Pennsylvania first responders to gain experience and serve during major disasters.
Unfortunately, the state’s fire response is drawing from much smaller pools. Unlike PEMA, the state Fire Commissioner’s office is funded almost entirely through the commonwealth. It uses those funds to provide grants and support to local volunteer fire departments.
Many such departments have been forced to make hard decisions, including consolidating with other municipalities. Meanwhile, availability of fire trucks and other supplies has become scarce and prohibitively expensive as private equity firms have choked the market according to Rep. Joshua Siegel, D-Allentown.
State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook said that they’re working to address this problem from a higher level.
“We’re engaging with other state fire marshals about what’s going on in their states, and I think you’re going to see a tidal wave of pushback officially from governments,” he said.
Perhaps the most pressing issue for firefighters in the state, however, is a lack of new recruits. The demographic crisis that is reaching into every industry creates particular peril for small towns where there simply isn’t anyone left to answer the call.
“For all the good faith efforts that this team up there have made, I get the sense that everything that we’re doing at some level is going to fall a little bit short of the mark,” said Rep. Mark Gillen, R-Reading, “I think we’re in crisis today.”
Cook said the two biggest needs to fix that approach are funding and recruitment. Traditionally, volunteer firefighters also serve their departments in raising funds and handling accounting and administrative tasks. For many struggling to find their footing in a tough economy, working for free is not only unpalatable but financially unsustainable.
“The young people coming into the volunteer fire service don’t want to be us. They want to be different than us. They have different expectations, different desires that don’t necessarily align with the traditional values of the volunteer fire service,” said Cook.
He suggested that funding departments more would make a big impact and said the state’s home-rule structure tends to work against its interests. Funding the work and providing higher level organizational structure could be hugely beneficial. Cook also noted that assisting departments with recruitment and incentivizing volunteers would help.
Christina Lengyel is the Pennsylvania reporter for the Center Square. The article was originally published in The Center Square.
