Reminder: Commonwealth Accepting Fire and EMS Grant Applications Due 10/20 

The Office of the State Fire Commissioner is accepting applications for the Fire and EMS Grant Program until October 20, 2024. All fire companies, emergency medical services, and volunteer rescue squads may apply for this grant. Fire and rescue companies must be actively reporting to PennFIRS monthly to qualify. More than 1,500 fire and ambulance companies have applied for these grants, make sure your township’s emergency response organizations don’t miss out. 

Funds may be used towards construction and/or renovation of fire company or EMS facilities; purchase of equipment; debt reduction; training and certification costs; and recruitment and retention, including volunteer firefighter length-of-service award programs and programs for minors. Additional information and guidelines for the 2024-2025 program are available at the OSFC’s grant website under “Resources.” Questions can be directed to ra-vfcvasgp@pa.gov.  

State Fire Commissioner Reminds Residents to Check Smoke Alarms  

State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook is urging Pennsylvanians to take part in this year’s Fire Prevention Week and review important fire safety information. Township officials are encouraged to share this information with their residents. 

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” works to educate everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home. According to the National Fire Protection Association, smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half. Roughly three out of five fire deaths occur in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.   

“Simply put, smoke alarms save lives,” said Commissioner Cook. “Having working smoke alarms installed in critical places throughout the home is vital to provide early alerting needed to escape today’s fast-moving fires. You may have as little as two minutes to safely exit your home from the moment you first hear a smoke alarm.” 

Click here to learn more fire safety tips that you can share with your residents.