00:00 - The morning and welcome to day two of our budget hearings.

00:05 - We are glad today to have with us.

00:09 - As we emergency management agency and

00:12 - the office of the fire commissioner

00:14 - glad to have both

00:16 - our director of fema

00:17 - and our state fire commissioner

00:19 - here with us

00:20 - this

00:21 - morning before we begin

00:23 - chairman shrews or do you have any introductory comments

00:26 - thank you chairman Harrison good morning everyone.

00:29 - Just to set the stage for this morning's hearing

00:32 - for pema the governor is proposing a total general

00:34 - fund spending amount of forty one million dollars

00:37 - for the upcoming

00:38 - fiscal year

00:40 - representing an increase of

00:41 - nine

00:42 - roughly nine million dollars or twenty eight

00:44 - point six percent over the current fiscal year

00:47 - and then for the state fire commissioner a budget of four point eight million

00:51 - an increase of thirty six thousand or point eight percent

00:55 - over the current fiscal year obviously gentleman and your team we support everything

00:59 - that you do wholeheartedly I know that you guys have had your hands full

01:02 - and in recent months and we certainly appreciate

01:05 - the support for r r e m s providers are are fire companies

01:09 - particularly our volunteer fire companies.

01:11 - It does concern us again that we see the us the urban search and rescue line item

01:15 - taken out for six million dollars

01:17 - but I know that we have got a lot of questions to get to

01:20 - and I'm sure we'll explore all of these issues but again

01:22 - appreciate all you do

01:24 - thank you

01:24 - thanks gentlemen

01:26 - director and commissioner if you all would stand

01:28 - with your staff so we could swear everybody in.

01:33 - Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about

01:35 - to give is the truth the whole truth will help you got.

01:39 - Thank you you may be seated.

01:44 - A quick reminder

01:46 - one of the

01:47 - tests whereas please make sure that you speak into the microphone

01:50 - so that we can hear you

01:51 - in the middle of the box in the middle of the table as a box

01:54 - currently the light is red

01:56 - that light will illuminate to green

01:59 - and that means that our members have five seconds

02:01 - five seconds five minutes sorry.

02:05 - Five seconds is cool too but no

02:06 - I remember remembers will have five minutes

02:09 - to ask you

02:10 - questions.

02:11 - At thirty seconds that light will turn

02:14 - yellow

02:15 - when that light turns yellow we ask that you try to conclude your answer

02:20 - and when it turns red we ask that you would stop our goal is to get as many

02:25 - questions in in the time that we have allotted.

02:30 - For our members remember to please use of microphones that have the white.

02:34 - Tape around them.

02:37 - I it is my understanding that both the director and the fire commissioner have

02:41 - opening statements that you'd like to do.

02:43 - While you guys can flip a coin whoever goes first what is up to you alright

02:46 - good.

02:48 - Alright I'll go first.

02:50 - Alright

02:51 - chairman Harris chairman st Louis

02:53 - and obviously the members of the house appropriations committee good morning

02:57 - thank you for the opportunity to come

02:58 - before you today to discuss pumas twenty twenty

03:00 - six and twenty twenty seven budget request

03:04 - a payment our mission is to help residents in communities across the great

03:07 - commonwealth before during and after disasters which essentially equates to helping

03:12 - people in their communities every day.

03:14 - We do this in any one of a number of

03:17 - our large number of ways while our missionaries

03:20 - in emergency management are centered around four main

03:22 - areas preparedness response mitigation and recovery

03:26 - these forwards are tied to a significant amount of programs and initiatives

03:30 - have hundreds of millions of state and federal Grant dollars distributed through

03:34 - approximately thirty three different grants

03:36 - and most importantly the people that perform the work in each one of these areas

03:41 - I'd like to highlight just some of the agency accomplishments within the past year

03:45 - as part of the ongoing recovery from tropical storm debby proximally seventy five

03:49 - percent of the public assistance pro ejects across the thirteen declared counties

03:53 - contained what's called section five o six mitigation under the Stafford act

03:58 - this provides a state and locals additional project funds to not just build back to

04:01 - what existed before the disaster occurred

04:04 - but to build back better to resist future disasters and build community resilience

04:09 - this is about three times the national as average for four

04:11 - or six mitigation which is around twenty five percent.

04:15 - Or disaster recovery assistance program which was first rolled out in two thousand

04:18 - and twenty three with funding allocated obviously

04:20 - by the legislature which we're very grateful for

04:23 - continues to assist the most vulnerable Pennsylvania and

04:26 - during times of need

04:27 - this past year we authorized the program twice once to assist

04:30 - within the visuals impacted by flooding that occurred in somerset county

04:34 - and another authorization for a building fire or

04:36 - multi occupancy building fire in allegheny county

04:39 - this provides critical support for individuals for home repairs temporary housing

04:43 - and replacement of essential personal property

04:46 - it would not they would not have any other way to pay for

04:49 - those expenses our agency can genius to anticipate and prepare for impacts

04:53 - of changes in policy at the federal

04:56 - government level to continue to serve the residents of the commonwealth

04:59 - as we sit here today

05:00 - there's a backlog of nearly seven hundred million dollars in recovery funding

05:04 - that is tied up in the dhs review process for any expenditures that are greater than

05:08 - one hundred thousand dollars this number does not include one hundred and thirty

05:12 - three million in building resilient infrastructure and communities funding

05:16 - that is due to be reinstated to continue to build

05:18 - community resiliency across the commonwealth.

05:21 - This delay are these delays

05:24 - have very real impacts on the communities and the individuals across the commonwealth

05:28 - governor shapiro has been very clear about continue to fight for what is duly ode to

05:32 - the residents and communities of the commonwealth from the federal government

05:35 - while we have been largely successful in those endeavors I think it is critically

05:38 - important to support the one hundred million dollar federal

05:41 - reserve fund contained in the governor's budget proposal

05:44 - to assist with bridging any gaps that occur so that state agencies can continue to

05:48 - serve the residents of the commonwealth

05:50 - lastly I'd like the highlight that this agency is part of a much larger.

05:56 - Emergency management enterprise that serves the residents every day

06:00 - while the challenges are many the success of the entire

06:02 - system isn't the people that are involved whether

06:05 - it is the volunteer municipal emergency management coordinator who is also a

06:09 - volunteer firefighter or emergency medical techno mission

06:12 - on top of being a father

06:14 - or mother

06:15 - and having a full time job

06:17 - our county emergency management partners

06:19 - are

06:20 - voluntary organizations that are active in disaster or the individuals that work

06:24 - within our agency all understand the mission are committed to helping the residents

06:28 - of the great commonwealth every day no matter what the situation.

06:36 - Chairman Harris

06:37 - Germans druzy and members of the house appropriations committee thank you for the

06:40 - opportunity to testify regarding the officer the state fire commissioners fiscal year

06:45 - twenty six twenty seven budget request.

06:48 - The officer of the state park richer serves the needs of Pennsylvania is by

06:52 - supporting the fire service through four primary program

06:55 - areas that address core needs of the fire service

06:58 - those four areas are

07:00 - financial needs

07:01 - through various Grant and loan programs

07:04 - prevention efforts by supporting community risk reduction efforts at the

07:08 - municipal level all.

07:09 - Personnel challenges addressed by supportive retention and recruitment programs

07:14 - and trading a voluntary certification of responders

07:17 - which is done through the Pennsylvania state park enemy.

07:21 - Fire commission serves one of the most vast and

07:23 - diverse fire service communities in the united states

07:27 - and sylvania is home to the larger the number of fire departments in the nation

07:31 - representing over two thousand fire departments

07:34 - thirty thousand volunteers and over ten thousand career firefighters.

07:40 - The oh sfc serves as the liaison to the general assembly

07:43 - and

07:44 - other commonwealth agencies for matters pertaining to fire protection

07:48 - and the fire service

07:50 - and we coordinate with federal

07:52 - and commonwealth agencies.

07:54 - Private non governmental agencies in our state advisory board.

08:01 - Our proposed budget for twenty six twenty seven will

08:03 - allow the office to continue to provide direct support

08:07 - ordination and resources for fire prevention

08:10 - training

08:11 - and control activities to the fire service community this will leadership

08:16 - and other emergency services personnel.

08:19 - Over the last year the fire commission has become more visible more responsive and

08:25 - more connected to the fire service community by engaging in a strategy

08:29 - that focuses on communication

08:32 - collaboration

08:33 - and access to fire commission services.

08:36 - I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the highlights

08:40 - from this year's activity.

08:42 - In our grants and loans program we were able to eliminate our loan backlog which has

08:47 - led to a forty one percent increase in applications from twenty twenty four

08:52 - to twenty twenty five

08:53 - we accomplish this by filling vacant positions in staff

08:57 - and modernizing internal processes which allowed for improved efficiency.

09:02 - This dramatic increase allowed us to approve over twenty

09:04 - five million dollars in loans to fire dms agencies.

09:09 - We also modified the Grant application process to make applying for and receiving

09:15 - fire commission Grant funds easier and more efficient than ever.

09:20 - Our Grant system which is tied into the keystone ID system reduces the number of

09:24 - different logging names needed by applicants

09:27 - and allows for electronic signatures on Grant agreements.

09:32 - This change simplified the process for firing

09:34 - gms agencies to complete their applications

09:37 - and received their funding

09:39 - in fiscal year twenty five twenty six we have awarded thirty seven point five million

09:43 - dollars in grants to the fire dms companies.

09:47 - Recruitment and retention is a top priority for the fire commission

09:51 - and the fire service

09:52 - we have four full-time advisers in our office

09:55 - allowing us to have a greater presence in the field

09:58 - to assist fire departments

10:00 - municipalities and school districts in addressing the struggle underway

10:04 - to retain and recruit firefighters.

10:07 - Probe

10:08 - after working with the Pennsylvania higher education

10:11 - assistance agency to promote the fia active

10:13 - volunteer tuition and loan assistance program

10:17 - to cover not only

10:18 - tuition for degree programs

10:21 - but also for firefighter training programs

10:23 - required for entrance into a specific career.

10:27 - We have developed this stronger partnership with

10:29 - the department of community and economic development

10:32 - to support fire department operations through the

10:35 - governor center for local government services.

10:38 - Reflecting our growing emphasis on inter agency

10:41 - cooperation.

10:44 - To support the effort of community risk reduction across the commonwealth we have

10:47 - expanded offerings of the freak me risk reductions

10:50 - classes through our qaddoumi on the road program.

10:54 - Additionally

10:55 - the fire commission transitioned it's data reporting software

10:58 - to meet the new federal reporting requirements

11:01 - we are working with our new software vendors

11:04 - create a statewide dashboard of fire data

11:07 - to identify areas of risk.

11:09 - This initiative will enhance the accuracy

11:12 - accessibility and strategic use of fire incident data throughout Pennsylvania.

11:18 - Pennsylvania's career and volunteer firefighters and first responders bravely put

11:22 - themselves in harm's way to protect their neighbors

11:25 - and serve an essential role in ensuring the safety

11:28 - of their communities

11:30 - as noted fire services faced recruitment and retention concerns as well as a growing

11:35 - need for equipment updates and other capital expenditures.

11:40 - The governor and I have seen first hand fire companies

11:42 - who are struggling to keep the heat on for their staff.

11:46 - As you know

11:47 - in his budget address governor shapiro proposed

11:50 - concrete steps to support the fire service

11:53 - a new

11:54 - competitive funding stream of thirty million in grants

11:57 - for our fire companies is

11:59 - this would allow them to purchase equipment

12:01 - recruit and retain firefighters

12:03 - and meet their individual unique needs.

12:06 - While the commonwealth already provides funding to it's fire companies

12:10 - the current system

12:11 - does not allow departments to make major investments

12:15 - these competitive grants would change that.

12:19 - We have also seen fire departments like the one

12:21 - we visited earlier this month in dicks on city

12:24 - that were able to ex

12:26 - execute a heroic

12:28 - coordinated effort to protect lives and properties

12:32 - property during the lehigh valley hospital fire.

12:35 - In fact in fact the fire chief Rickard kalinic

12:39 - himself

12:40 - described the effort as

12:42 - pulling off the impossible.

12:44 - He went on to say that funding for pa fire

12:46 - departments is vital to the fire services in pa

12:50 - this new Grant program would

12:52 - double the funding available to our fire service

12:55 - each year.

12:57 - In closing on behalf of governor shapiro I

12:59 - thank you chairman Harris and chairman strozzi

13:02 - and the members of the committee for your support of the

13:04 - fire commission and the fire service cross the cannula.

13:08 - This budget will allow sfc to continue providing

13:12 - cutting edge training along with administrative and financial support

13:16 - to our brave first responders.

13:19 - I appreciate the opportunity to appear here before you today and I look forward to

13:23 - answering any questions you may have.

13:25 - We thank you both and with that will get underway with questions

13:29 - and we'll start with representative Kincaid.

13:34 - Thank you chairman thank you all for being here today and.

13:38 - Given the recent snowstorms and

13:41 - and started the transition over that we've seen because of municipal elections and

13:46 - there are a number of local officials in my area that are new to their positions

13:51 - and

13:52 - and.

13:53 - At the new mayor in avalon

13:55 - I actually reached out to me because she had tried to contact fema in order to take

14:01 - advantage of the training that they offer for local government officials

14:05 - and about an

14:07 - emergency preparedness and

14:09 - disaster declarations and how to handle all of that

14:12 - that office is unstaffed

14:14 - and so am wondering if pima is I'm

14:19 - stepping up and has a plan for how to

14:22 - help those officials to get trained to be able to handle

14:26 - these kinds of situations in the future

14:29 - sure thank you for that question and I think it goes back to you a lot of the

14:32 - uncertainty that we see right now with the

14:34 - federal government it also impacts our programs

14:37 - because local emergency management coordinators and county emergency management

14:41 - coordinators need to be certified to according to title thirty five

14:44 - so we rely on a lot of the law online programs through

14:47 - the national disaster and emergency management university

14:50 - so we have a number of programs at our agency that

14:53 - we can do probably the easiest and the shortest is

14:56 - really

14:57 - designed around elect officials to be able to talk to them about what the

15:01 - responsibilities are and what emergency management is

15:03 - we can offer those to our

15:05 - our counties we can offer those to our area offices so we'd be more than happy to

15:09 - have a discussion in the future about

15:11 - ways to be able to provide that training.

15:14 - Are you reaching out

15:15 - directly to the municipalities to let them know that this is available normally what

15:20 - we do is we work through the counties who work with the municipalities the counties

15:24 - also do training on a regular basis

15:26 - we also work through

15:28 - a lot of the constituent organizations said the county commissioners association

15:32 - he sats we work through those organizations as well to be able to offer training

15:37 - so there's a number of avenues to be able to do that but

15:40 - we can talk offline

15:42 - but usually if they go to their county first

15:45 - and then obviously we are willing to be able to support

15:47 - any training needs that we happen that happen to.

15:51 - Be needed across the state.

15:53 - Great thank you and

15:54 - commissioner obviously the focus has been a lot on trying to incentivize our our ad

16:00 - volunteer fire departments to consolidate and

16:04 - and

16:04 - and I'm wondering

16:05 - I mean obviously there's the incentive of of greater kind of investments if there if

16:11 - these departments consolidate that's

16:14 - have you been

16:15 - seeing a success in that and are there recommendations that you have for how we can

16:21 - continue to incentivize these consolidations because obviously

16:25 - think there's a degree of of folks not wanting to give up their identity as.

16:30 - These individual fire departments am

16:33 - but also not necessarily recognizing

16:35 - the benefits that come with the consolidation

16:37 - and how we navigate sorta those kind of HP personal politics.

16:41 - So.

16:43 - I guess I'll answer the middle part first yes we are

16:45 - seeing an increase in the number of fire departments

16:48 - merging or consolidating operations across the commonwealth.

16:52 - It's not a

16:55 - title wave by any stretch of the imagination but

16:57 - there are more murders occurring

17:00 - than in past years

17:02 - and.

17:03 - I would be remiss if I didn't extend a cautionary

17:07 - advice

17:08 - visor you hear that

17:10 - mergers and consolidations are tools in our toolbox

17:13 - to provide appropriate levels of service across the commonwealth

17:17 - they're not a be all end all solution

17:20 - and the options at the local level need to

17:23 - be explored very carefully

17:25 - so that we don't actually make the situation worse than what it is

17:28 - in the existing situation.

17:31 - As far as incentivizing it I think we continue

17:33 - to support the incentives that are place like the

17:37 - the merger provision in the

17:38 - Grant program

17:40 - I think any funding programs we implement in the future

17:44 - also need to get yo continue to incentivize the

17:48 - regionalization is probably a broader word to use to

17:51 - describe where we need to go with this conversation.

17:55 - So

17:56 - You know yes we need to find additional ways to incentivize that.

18:01 - You know

18:01 - but it is still by.

18:04 - You know

18:04 - title seven and eight it's a local municipal issue

18:07 - that's where our support has been focused is how do

18:10 - we support the municipalities through that process.

18:14 - Thank you thank you mr Sharon.

18:17 - Thank the gentle lady representative awesome or.

18:21 - Thank you chairman Harris.

18:23 - Good morning.

18:26 - Today

18:27 - I'd like to address my questions to the fire commissioner.

18:32 - Mr commissioner

18:33 - I've been in touch

18:34 - with my local public safety director.

18:38 - And he identified the challenge that I'm sure

18:40 - many of my colleagues throughout the commonwealth

18:44 - are dealing with

18:45 - we have a crisis in our volunteer fire service.

18:50 - Volunteer fire departments are struggling to find enough people to shoulder the load.

18:56 - Yet we are seeing increasing call volumes

19:00 - and an increased burden

19:01 - on a shrinking number

19:04 - of volunteers.

19:07 - Of course I'm very concerned about this from a budgetary aspect.

19:12 - Because I know that

19:14 - a small the small communities in my district will have a hard time.

19:19 - Affording the cost of shifting that two paid volunteer

19:24 - or paid.

19:25 - Fire departments.

19:27 - Compounding the issue is the fact that many volunteers

19:31 - are struggling to manage the time commitment.

19:35 - Of the many training requirements

19:38 - that are either required or strongly favored in

19:40 - order to make the departments eligible for grants.

19:45 - So here are my questions.

19:48 - First what is your assessment

19:51 - of the current status

19:53 - of the volunteer fire service

19:55 - across the commonwealth.

19:58 - So the

19:59 - answer to that question

20:00 - representative is

20:02 - it

20:03 - Varies across the commonwealth.

20:05 - The strongest

20:07 - struggles

20:08 - are in our rural communities where populations are declining

20:12 - and therefore there's less of a pool of people to recruit from and we need to fight

20:18 - is to answer that specific question.

20:23 - Rather than just taking a blanket approach to

20:26 - recruitment

20:26 - because there are also areas in the commonwealth that

20:29 - are booming in recruitment are having no trouble finding

20:33 - volunteer firefighters and staffing

20:35 - firehouses and fire

20:38 - equipment

20:39 - so you know there's no silver bullet that's going to solve that I thought if we're

20:43 - going to reach solutions through engaged

20:45 - and

20:46 - honest conversation

20:48 - because some of those rural communities need to step

20:50 - up and and realize there is no one left to recruit.

20:55 - I'm glad you mentioned of

20:57 - one aspect there and that is.

21:00 - Kind of like the one size doesn't fit all with

21:03 - respects especially the the rural communities so.

21:07 - Some of the violent volunteers

21:09 - and

21:11 - in in these rural communities may just drive a truck

21:15 - may not enter into buildings

21:18 - may just beyond the exterior of buildings what is your.

21:25 - What is your position on

21:28 - just

21:29 - training a one size fits all model that seems to scare many of these rural

21:34 - or small smaller

21:36 - and or or people that have more time constraints

21:40 - from participating in a volunteer fire department.

21:44 - So I think that conversation starts

21:47 - representative with

21:48 - the the.

21:51 - We need to do a better job making sure that municipalities

21:54 - who control the fire services as well as the

21:57 - the leadership in the fire companies themselves understand.

22:00 - It is up to them

22:02 - to set their training requirements for their firefighters

22:05 - there is no state requirement for training for a firefighter

22:09 - and

22:09 - it's a whole different dish discussion about whether there

22:12 - should be or should not be and what should that level be

22:15 - but to give you a concrete step that the commission has taken to address

22:19 - this the specific question.

22:22 - Our new

22:23 - training system for entry level firefighters

22:26 - is is now broken into three buckets

22:29 - the first bucket is what we call the f higher ground support module

22:33 - which is

22:34 - for exactly the type of person you're describing

22:37 - that has no intention of being an interior firefighter inside the burning structure

22:42 - what is going to provide support activities to the fire company

22:45 - at that fire see.

22:47 - That's that's one step

22:49 - and

22:50 - the other step is as we've

22:52 - moved more and more of our curriculum

22:55 - to our online learning management system the qaeda's platform

22:59 - to allow firefighters to access the cognitive part of their training

23:03 - at their convenience rather than forcing them to drive to a classroom

23:08 - especially in rural Pennsylvania where training sites are

23:11 - rare error or sometimes non existent

23:13 - so we've been working very hard to build access to our programs

23:18 - but I think the conversation still has to go back to the municipality

23:22 - the community needs to decide what kind of fire department they want to have

23:27 - and then.

23:28 - Apply.

23:29 - Appropriate training to that standard.

23:33 - Thank you mr commissioner.

23:35 - Thank you.

23:36 - Thank the gentleman representative young.

23:39 - Good morning everyone and happy black history month.

23:44 - My question is

23:46 - what type of project

23:48 - have been undertaken with the hazard

23:50 - mitigation funding.

23:54 - Thank you for that question representative

23:56 - there are a number of different types of projects that are undertaken with that.

24:01 - So that can

24:02 - the whole premise of that program is really

24:05 - to buy down the impacts of future disasters.

24:08 - So that when we have flooding people are not displace those types of things so some

24:13 - of that that is working within the floodplain and working with

24:16 - the municipalities to be able to take a look at

24:19 - severe repetitive loss structures people that have been

24:22 - flooded multiple times to be able to buy back that property

24:26 - make a green space

24:27 - and then move those people somewhere else that is safer in the community it also can

24:32 - be used for elevate one project so we may go in

24:35 - there is a benefit cost analysis that needs to be

24:37 - done but it may make sense to be able to elevate them

24:40 - so that they don't get

24:42 - flooded on a regular basis that are main living floor doesn't get flooded on a

24:45 - regular basis we have those projects occurring across the commonwealth

24:49 - some unique projects that we've worked with the city of

24:52 - Pittsburgh on his land slides and hillside stabilization

24:56 - so there's a number of projects that.

24:58 - Fall under hazard mitigation

25:01 - and what we do is we

25:02 - make the best use

25:03 - of our funding that we have available

25:05 - we are an enhanced hazard mitigation plan state so we get additional federal funding

25:10 - every time we get a federal disaster so like with tropical storm debby

25:13 - we received additional funding on top of the normal funding

25:16 - other states would get because we have an enhanced plan

25:20 - and we look at projects across the state

25:22 - and we have municipalities submit a letter of

25:25 - interest

25:26 - in what those projects happen to be in and our team takes a look at those and what

25:30 - the best funding streams happen to be to be able to accomplish those projects.

25:34 - Thank you for the added follow up so you explain to me what you've been able to do

25:39 - with that type of funding can you give us a little

25:42 - insight on how

25:43 - that impact

25:44 - has executed in local communities

25:47 - so you've been sharing with me how the money has been spent

25:50 - in various spaces

25:51 - what has been the impact of that that like what has been the outcome

25:56 - of those efforts

25:57 - so I think the outcome of those efforts is really that the next time that

26:01 - communities are impacted by whether it's a severe weather

26:03 - event or whether it's repeated moisture in the ground

26:07 - those types of things

26:08 - people's lives are either saved

26:10 - or it makes the communities more resilient so there are a lot of re

26:14 - in packs that are realized from that

26:16 - but if we can flood one less household and displace one less family or we can work on

26:21 - flood control projects so communities are safer

26:24 - that is really the tangible benefit of all those programs

26:28 - and really the goal of our mitigation department is to mitigate to the point where we

26:32 - don't have to do anything when it you know we

26:34 - have a hurricane or we have a cigar weather event

26:37 - because everybody is safe

26:38 - and that's really the goal is to remove people from harm's way

26:42 - make

26:43 - communities more resilient

26:45 - so that families don't have to go through a long protracted recovery

26:49 - and

26:50 - so would you identify something you wish you could do tips

26:54 - different early

26:55 - in these efforts you have you identified

26:57 - things that you can improve upon or things that you wish

26:59 - you would have done differently

27:01 - to make it a little more streamlined for these

27:03 - communities so that's a great question we're

27:05 - always looking to streamline all of our programs

27:08 - there's a lot of complexity because these are federal programs.

27:12 - So our staff is really adept at working through the

27:15 - federal programs and being able to make sure the money is

27:19 - put to the best use

27:20 - one of the challenges we see with some of the other states is

27:23 - they're sitting on large sums of hazard mitigation funding

27:27 - and because of the complexity of the programs they don't have the ability to be able

27:30 - to use it we don't suffer from that we actually have a great

27:33 - mitigation

27:35 - a

27:35 - Team that works that

27:36 - I think you know

27:38 - in the continuing discussion and the impacts

27:39 - from the federal government's side of the house

27:42 - is taking a look at could we develop a state

27:44 - hazard mitigation program in the future

27:47 - that would be more flexible more efficient

27:49 - and would not be

27:51 - prone to a lot of the complexities that we see in the federal programs

27:55 - thank you.

27:57 - Thank the gentle lady representative brown.

28:00 - Good morning and I want to begin by thanking you

28:02 - all for your service thank you for being here.

28:06 - So the good gentleman from.

28:08 - Pike and Wayne county.

28:10 - I

28:11 - Began

28:12 - asking questions about retention issues with our

28:15 - firefighters I do come from a rural community.

28:19 - Lawrence county

28:21 - and in fact in my own township we have one firefighter

28:25 - who should be retired but there's no one to replace him

28:29 - so I'm very concerned about

28:31 - that retention and

28:34 - recruitment of our officers

28:37 - so.

28:39 - You have a statewide recruitment and retention

28:41 - program per act twenty of two thousand and nineteen.

28:45 - What issues will the additional funding specifically address and then.

28:51 - What will that

28:53 - it not address as it relates to

28:56 - firefighters commissioner.

28:59 - So.

29:00 - Thanks for that's

29:01 - a very pertinent question because

29:03 - the additional funding

29:05 - will be used to bolster some of our activities

29:08 - to get a better quantified picture of the recruitment

29:13 - efforts

29:14 - across the commonwealth

29:15 - and we we've done a literature review we have some high level data that

29:20 - is old and probably not appropriate anymore

29:24 - so we're going to try to funnel some of the additional funding into

29:28 - I'll call it a research project survey

29:30 - where we can.

29:32 - Look at our socio economic breakdowns across the commonwealth

29:36 - who's struggling who's not struggling

29:38 - what are the bay barriers to entry

29:40 - and then we'll be able to propose solutions to those barriers to entry

29:45 - and what is the time frame for that.

29:48 - Yesterday if I had it my way but we're going

29:50 - to work on that very diligently this year.

29:53 - Good

29:54 - and

29:55 - with the

29:56 - related firefighter recruitment and retention issues.

30:00 - Were they vetted with the state fire adverse advisory board.

30:05 - Sorry.

30:06 - What specifically the funding proposal.

30:10 - Four it's been proposed

30:12 - to fund recruitment

30:14 - and retention efforts was that vetted

30:17 - with the state fire advisory board

30:20 - to get feedback.

30:23 - No

30:24 - But I believe the funding

30:25 - for recruitment and retention was originally

30:27 - established before the fire advisory board was seated.

30:32 - I see.

30:34 - Okay

30:35 - so any complications

30:37 - you see moving forward with

30:41 - retention and recruitment.

30:43 - Well

30:44 - once we have the numbers I think we're going to be faced with some very

30:48 - tough decisions based on what I see as I travel out throughout the commonwealth

30:53 - especially in rural Pennsylvania.

30:56 - Literally there's no one left to recruit

30:58 - the situation you're describing

31:00 - while how do we provide fire protection to our

31:02 - communities in an environment where there are no people

31:05 - to provide fire department services

31:08 - that is going to be a very difficult policy decision

31:12 - and right now

31:13 - the way title seven and eight are written

31:16 - that is a local municipal decision.

31:19 - Got it

31:20 - okay

31:21 - thank you.

31:24 - Thank the gentle lady

31:25 - representative Webster.

31:28 - Thank you mr chairman good morning gentlemen and

31:31 - again thanks for your

31:32 - your time effort and service to our communities it's it's

31:35 - outrageously important.

31:37 - I am reminded over

31:39 - my experience in the last few years in my district

31:42 - that I think the number is now forty seven homes.

31:46 - Because of flooding and other

31:48 - events ants are now

31:49 - fema properties are now municipal parks and

31:52 - some of them are

31:54 - are nice and these different things

31:55 - but

31:56 - we're facing a time when

31:58 - on the federal level.

31:59 - You know maybe no funding may be delayed funding maybe reduce funding

32:04 - and when asked about

32:05 - you know

32:05 - how that impacts

32:07 - your budget and

32:09 - and our ability to protect pennsylvanians who who are going to.

32:12 - Face

32:13 - those same kinds of storms over the next few years.

32:16 - Are represented thank you for that question and it is concerning from our perspective

32:20 - obviously when it comes to hazard mitigation

32:22 - and continued funding from the federal level.

32:25 - When we look at the emergency management side of our operation

32:28 - about ninety percent of the emergency management

32:32 - side of pima is funded through federal funds

32:35 - so

32:36 - Many of the programs we haven't we're only as good as the programs that we have

32:40 - within our purview

32:41 - hazard mitigation programs are federally

32:44 - funded programs

32:45 - so that is

32:46 - a concern and there are a number of those types of programs

32:49 - so

32:49 - We want to put that money to the best use and

32:52 - as I said our team back at headquarters is.

32:57 - Extremely adept at using those funds and being able to work with the municipalities

33:02 - are not easy programs some days we've we've had to work with communities because

33:06 - there is concern about buying back property

33:08 - and

33:09 - potentially losing that tax base

33:11 - so I think that begets a larger question to be able to work with the communities to

33:15 - be able to keep those individual val's

33:18 - you know why we're removing them from harm's way we

33:19 - want to keep them in those communities obviously.

33:23 - So I think

33:24 - you know there's a lot

33:25 - more work that needs to be done.

33:27 - I think the focus needs to be more on mitigation and making it simpler and more

33:33 - efficient than what it is with some of the

33:34 - federal programs that we deal with right now

33:37 - and we're always looking for ways to be able to make our programs more more efficient

33:41 - across the state and to be able to work with

33:44 - in one of the municipalities that are

33:47 - you know adversely impact by these flooding events.

33:51 - Wasn't expecting this but as you said words mitigation had cetera

33:54 - maybe take that step forward.

33:56 - I don't I dunno if

33:58 - it would

33:58 - fall to you as emergency

34:00 - response

34:01 - or to other parts of our

34:02 - our

34:03 - you know our administration

34:05 - in terms of how we mitigate

34:08 - the scenarios and in my case

34:10 - really without pointing fingers we simply have

34:13 - a scenario where the cumulative effect of development and the current level of water

34:18 - is

34:19 - You know doesn't add up

34:20 - the way it used to

34:22 - it's making these properties vulnerable to flooding

34:24 - drastically

34:25 - like

34:26 - with

34:27 - a

34:27 - Velocity of water that's unbelievable.

34:31 - How would we mitigate you know what funds would

34:34 - and

34:35 - does pima

34:36 - have sort of

34:38 - a

34:39 - Protective grants so how do we how do we

34:41 - extend into the

34:43 - future so that certain properties don't become impacted in that way

34:47 - so I think a lot of that is dependent on sometimes we have small numbers of

34:51 - properties sometimes it's whole communities and when we

34:53 - look at whole communities we look at other projects such as

34:56 - levees to be able to

34:58 - protect those communities

35:00 - challenges those levies again they are complex projects

35:03 - when we take a look at eastwick outside of

35:05 - Philadelphia when we take a look at some of the

35:07 - projects associated with trying to protect that community it requires a lot of input

35:12 - into that there are potential downstream impacts as well

35:16 - are not insurmountable

35:18 - we have a great working row relationship with the army corps of engineers there is

35:21 - what's called the silver jackets program

35:23 - and

35:24 - there is a long story about how it's called the silver jackets program but we work

35:28 - with them and we work with other community partners

35:30 - and other federal agencies to address those concerns

35:34 - and

35:35 - some of them are

35:36 - you know

35:37 - complex but they're not insurmountable

35:39 - so we look at

35:41 - Alaska is a classic example where they

35:43 - you know they worked

35:45 - from glacier flooding to install hesco barriers

35:49 - behind people's homes to be able to protect those

35:51 - homes and

35:52 - so we look at those types of innovative

35:55 - ideas and work on

35:57 - where do they fit in the commonwealth does that make sense

35:59 - to be able to use some sort of barrier

36:02 - for times when we know that the flood water is going

36:04 - to come up to be able to protect those communities

36:07 - so I think there's

36:08 - there's myriad solutions out there some of them

36:11 - are very complex but they're not insurmountable

36:14 - but it's really working at the community level and

36:16 - you highlight a significant issue that we see with

36:18 - significant pursue imitation events

36:21 - right they're not going away

36:22 - a lot of water in a short period of time that overwhelms the storm water management

36:27 - and creates floods in areas that we've never seen flooded right work.

36:30 - Experience that

36:32 - I know were

36:33 - just turned red

36:34 - and

36:34 - I'm excited to conclude by simply saying

36:37 - on the perkiomen watershed which is for one hundred square miles of

36:41 - of Montgomery county bucks berks and lehigh.

36:45 - We've done the study so we know

36:47 - what the projects would be

36:49 - and maybe we can follow up and

36:51 - and and to be more than welcome to have that conversation mr chairman

36:54 - thank the gentleman representative rig by.

36:57 - Thank you Sharon Harris thank you gentlemen thank you for your service.

37:01 - Can you address some of the priority issues you have

37:04 - raised previously before this and other committees

37:07 - and what recommendations have been made such as mentioned earlier the improving the

37:12 - recruitment and retention issues related to the volunteer

37:15 - fire services can also help with the reorganization

37:18 - and consolidation of companies we see more and more more of that happening

37:22 - and so

37:23 - can you address some of those things.

37:25 - So

37:26 - We're working very hard to identify

37:29 - on the recruitment and retention issue right

37:32 - what what of the incentives that have been

37:34 - inactive are actually bearing fruit in helping.

37:37 - What are hurting

37:39 - and that we guide people to to

37:42 - a menu

37:43 - so to speak of solutions on the incentive thing

37:47 - as far as recruiting efforts

37:49 - we've collected best practices

37:52 - and we will work with a fire company to help them design a recruiting program.

37:58 - Because again recruiting has to happen at the local law evil for it to be effective

38:03 - so we are extremely active as an office in supporting

38:07 - those two things

38:09 - on

38:10 - The regionalisation consolidation question we're very active with the.

38:15 - Local government services office over at dcd

38:18 - supporting their activities with the fires studies

38:22 - and recommendations for

38:24 - regionalization of fire service across the commonwealth.

38:28 - Those would be the top level things that we're doing on those specific issues

38:33 - and talking about re the realization that I

38:37 - can only speak for my district that I'm familiar with

38:40 - not both by companies where there's been

38:42 - regionalization have now put on paid staff also where

38:45 - we are now seeing paid and volunteer working together.

38:49 - You see more of that happening it is is there going to

38:51 - come a time when we're going to need to start funding

38:54 - that also.

38:56 - That

38:57 - the simple answer yes more of it is occurred.

39:01 - And in a lot of cases where we run into that situation where

39:06 - we're out of people to recruit

39:08 - paid staff is one

39:10 - solution to that problem.

39:13 - The the problem we have with the the consolidation of regionalization right sizing

39:19 - whatever buzzword we want he is with fire companies across the commonwealth is

39:24 - we have a delivery model

39:26 - that was designed in the era of horse-drawn fire apparatus

39:30 - where a horse could literally only pull the fire

39:33 - apparatus three blocks before it was exhausted

39:37 - so

39:37 - We have a lot of areas in the commonwealth that

39:40 - have gone through the process over many many many

39:43 - generations

39:44 - to right size service provision

39:47 - we also have a whole lot of communities that

39:49 - have way more fire departments than they need.

39:53 - And that's where we have to be very cognizant of the commission

39:57 - there is no silver bullet answer to any of these questions

40:01 - and it's working with local leadership to discover

40:05 - a solution that potentially will work best in that local environment.

40:10 - Then I agree with you the visualization is working great there

40:14 - getting rid of a lot of duplications of of services

40:17 - when you have trucks

40:18 - no amount of half apart so

40:19 - I think the work that you're doing and we hope to continue on with this thank you sir

40:23 - thank you.

40:29 - Gentleman representative Salisbury

40:31 - thank you chairman

40:32 - I want to begin by talking about pima a little bit

40:36 - as

40:37 - You I'm sure you recall we had a eleven day power

40:41 - outage in my district back in April and may of last year

40:45 - and I got to know much more about pima than I had ever imagined.

40:50 - So I wonder if you could address

40:52 - a few questions that I have about the emergency management coordinator

40:56 - response.

40:57 - Methodology so what we learned

41:00 - in allegheny county is that unless an unmet need gets

41:04 - communicated to your local emergency management coordinator

41:08 - of which I have thirteen because there are thirteen municipalities in the district

41:12 - that will not get kicked up to the county is an unmet

41:14 - need and then it will not be communicated to pima

41:18 - but when doing a review before a recent

41:21 - snowstorm I went through and called all thirteen

41:24 - gmc use who are lists did

41:26 - and I found that ten out of the thirteen either no

41:29 - longer worked there or had incorrect contact information

41:32 - our county amc said that he hasn't heard from some of the municipalities in years.

41:37 - Would it be appropriate for the state to

41:40 - try it and I know we have many many municipalities but

41:43 - would it be appropriate for the state to try to address

41:46 - some of those contact

41:48 - issues to help with communication of unmet needs.

41:51 - A thank you representative for the question and the you drive at a

41:56 - very concerning point from our perspective so

41:59 - we talked about kind of the enterprise emergency

42:01 - management system is only as strong as its weakest link

42:04 - and unfortunately you know sometimes those links

42:08 - are broken

42:09 - and

42:10 - especially at the municipal level there is a requirement for all municipalities in

42:13 - the commonwealth to have a trained and certified emergency management coordinator

42:17 - what we see sometimes is what you've experienced

42:20 - sometimes they are a name on a piece of paper.

42:23 - However I have seen some

42:25 - very rough robust municipal emergency management coordinators and programs in the

42:30 - past as well so it varies significantly across the state.

42:34 - I think that the challenge that we have is

42:36 - really plays back into taking a look at updating title thirty five of what makes

42:40 - sense in title thirty five at this point in time

42:43 - and

42:44 - really hasn't been

42:45 - touched since nineteen ninety six and I think there's

42:48 - er it begets a question of

42:50 - what level of training do we need to have for

42:52 - municipal emergency management coordinators

42:55 - very similar to what we're talking about on the fire service side is this

42:58 - consolidation makes sense in that type of situation

43:02 - and then take a look at other ways to be able to make sure that the municipalities

43:07 - have the emergency management support staff that they need

43:11 - whether it's lessening some of the training for smaller municipalities

43:15 - we know that there is some success in larger

43:17 - municipalities but many times their dual hatted

43:20 - there are the fire chief or the police chief and are also the emergency management

43:24 - coordinator and I think what we see a lot of times

43:27 - is that counties end up having to pick up the slack

43:30 - and then we have to work with the counties to see what they need so it's part of a

43:33 - larger system but I think you really

43:36 - highlight one of the the

43:38 - weakest areas that we see across the commonwealth and when we see that we work with

43:42 - the counties to be able to step in

43:43 - and be able to do what we need

43:46 - but it really starts at at the

43:48 - municipal emergency management coordinator level and if they are not engaged at that

43:52 - level a lot of times that information link is broken

43:55 - so I wonder what role as state representatives we can help play I know

44:01 - we've.

44:02 - Started getting the weather report sent to our office because that was also

44:06 - one of the things is that I found out that we were having an eighty mile an hour wind

44:10 - storm at the same time everyone else did about

44:13 - five minutes before I happened

44:15 - when my phone started blaring

44:17 - so I

44:18 - I really

44:19 - wish that we had been made aware of that in advance and given the same information so

44:24 - I did introduce a bill about that podesta that you

44:26 - voluntarily and you're departing I started sending out those.

44:29 - Pieces of information I didn't get a call directly from pima

44:32 - in advance of a recent snowstorm to make sure that

44:35 - we were aware and prepared and I do greatly appreciate that but I wonder what we

44:40 - might be able to do to enhance that link

44:43 - because people in many cases do come directly to us and not to their amc right and I

44:47 - think you know we're more than welcome to have conversations on what does right look

44:51 - like for emergency management in the future and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and

44:55 - I think educating people on what emergency management is and what it isn't because a

44:59 - lot of times we work in the shadows they're used to seeing their public safety

45:02 - professionals out there the law enforcement fire emergency medical services out there

45:07 - but we're really in support and coordination role

45:09 - at the municipal level and at the county level

45:11 - and I think having a broader understanding of what

45:14 - emergency management is what our role happens to be

45:17 - and how we come into play and really

45:19 - driving home the importance of it

45:22 - for the local municipalities that

45:24 - I say this a lot of times that people don't

45:27 - worry about him agency management until they really need to worry about emergency

45:30 - management and then at that point it's too late.

45:33 - Certainly I've found out myself I had people reaching out to me saying

45:37 - I'm going to die tonight I have no oxygen

45:39 - and

45:40 - I just had to do my best to try to fix that so

45:43 - I appreciate your time thank you so much today.

45:46 - Thank the gentle lady representative quotes

45:48 - Beckett chairman

45:50 - the morning thanks for being here today

45:52 - and

45:53 - director pat it'll like to

45:55 - start with

45:56 - you and a question about the nine one one program

45:59 - and just hoping to get an update on the nine one one

46:01 - programs exact thirty four of twenty twenty three

46:04 - extended the provisions of title thirty five

46:06 - chapter fifty three until twenty twenty nine

46:09 - and act forty five at twenty twenty five extended

46:12 - a surcharge increase of one ninety five five

46:14 - until January

46:16 - thirty first twenty twenty nine can you just give an update on that program

46:18 - I'll defer to my executive deputy who is

46:21 - ran that program for a number of years

46:23 - sure said a dollar ninety five fee has generated three hundred and eighty four

46:26 - million that is an increase of fifty five million other a dollar sixty five fee rate.

46:32 - Excellent

46:32 - and

46:33 - can you tell me

46:34 - if there are other changes that you think are are necessary

46:37 - under title thirty five to update the current program.

46:41 - Short for nine one one so our current legislation is based

46:44 - on legacy enhance nine one one terminology and protocols

46:47 - so we do have to update the terminology for next generation number one protocols

46:51 - other changes that would be beneficial would be liability per texans for nine one

46:55 - telecommunicators when interacting with nine eight eight service another change would

46:59 - be refund rules for carriers to request refunds from the number one fund

47:04 - and then finally support for the creation

47:07 - and operation of

47:08 - hell a communicator emergency response task forces to support county number one

47:12 - centers when impacted by disaster.

47:15 - Thank you and

47:17 - it

47:17 - Going on on the same line with the surcharge my correct the governor's proposal

47:23 - to extend the current dollar ninety five surcharge to

47:26 - June thirtieth two thousand and one twenty thirty one as that is that correct.

47:31 - Right now we're focused on administering the fee through January twenty twenty nine

47:35 - the legislative budget and finance committee did complete a study that recommended

47:38 - the general assembly and pema evaluate the fee over the next year

47:42 - to determine it's effectiveness

47:44 - so we do have the years worth of data some of the trends

47:46 - that we're seeing is for wire line and voip service

47:49 - fuck

47:50 - subscriptions continue to decrease wireless revenue is

47:53 - our biggest revenue source makes up about eighty percent

47:56 - but according to fcc rules we do have a highly saturated market

47:59 - so we're likely not going to see much growth when it comes to wireless revenue

48:03 - the one opportunity we do have would be to expand the base

48:06 - as newer technology start to access the number one system.

48:10 - Yeah and that's that's one of my concerns as well

48:12 - as that everyone who wants a phone has a phone

48:15 - and I think you hit the nail on the head I

48:17 - believe there's something like over one point five million devices actually over

48:22 - the top for people who have multiple devices you pay that

48:25 - so I'm concerned about that

48:26 - being flat line and ensuring our nine one one

48:29 - opera writers have the resources that that they need

48:32 - and

48:33 - so I I appreciate that and and some of those

48:36 - ideas to

48:37 - improve that program I would look forward to

48:40 - collaborating with your office to get some of those across the finish line the session

48:44 - and if I can pivot to fire commissioners while commissure cook

48:47 - and

48:48 - as as we're coming into we we've talked about recruitment retention today

48:53 - one of my concerns is a

48:56 - rural fire companies who don't have the tax

48:58 - base to make some of the improvements necessary

49:00 - let me give an example from cumberland county right across the river.

49:03 - Monroe fire company

49:05 - is a rural company

49:06 - that responds to

49:09 - everywhere around them and

49:10 - so they're going to the places with the big

49:13 - population that for me a silver spring upper Allen

49:16 - but they don't have the tax base

49:18 - they're looking at options out to build a new station because

49:22 - their station one doesn't have the room into it's fallen apart

49:24 - but they don't have the tax base and even a fire tax increase

49:28 - doesn't generate the revenue they need for it

49:30 - is your office looking.

49:33 - For companies like that where

49:36 - there are call volume to those higher

49:39 - even as as as the rit team or mutual aid partners

49:42 - to those higher population areas

49:44 - and who don't have the tax base but nonetheless are in need of

49:49 - dire infrastructure improvements

49:51 - seraph is looking to identify those places

49:54 - who need those capital improvements and attempting to

49:58 - include them in these programs

50:00 - when they're in need of it and some of their higher population counterparts

50:05 - are able to make those changes and they're not.

50:08 - Yes we we always

50:10 - try to work with everybody to propose appropriate solutions when we're made aware of.

50:16 - Specific needs

50:18 - and

50:18 - a lot of what we can and cannot do on the funding stage

50:22 - is constrained by the legislation that authorizes us

50:27 - to run the programs.

50:28 - We're going to be working this afternoon with the fire advisory board to bring some

50:33 - recommended language changes to the existing Grant program

50:36 - to make it

50:37 - meet the modern needs of the Pennsylvania fire service.

50:43 - Right away for the

50:44 - specific instance that you're talking about you know we probably would

50:48 - need to re reach out and have a conversation about

50:51 - the construction accounts that

50:52 - they're allowed to analyse stabler where they can

50:55 - take multiple years of funding from the commission

50:57 - sock it away in an interest bearing account and then

51:01 - when they have enough money

51:02 - within the period they can keep the construction account

51:05 - they can spend it on their bigger project

51:08 - so the the

51:09 - the

51:10 - the small amounts that we give on an annual basis can now be stockpiled.

51:15 - Towards a larger project

51:17 - I appreciate say my time has expired and want to be respectful of the chairman

51:21 - I'd like to follow up with sure and perhaps have that conversation.

51:25 - Offline but sincerely appreciate your time and response today

51:28 - and thank the chair amen for the

51:30 - latitude

51:30 - thank the gentleman representative Brennan

51:33 - thank you chairman.

51:34 - This is a

51:35 - question for pima for director pad field first of all direct had field good seeing you

51:39 - and we appreciate all the work you've

51:40 - done in bucks county it's often in difficult times but

51:43 - we always appreciate seeing or they're supporting

51:45 - our local governments and our first responders and

51:48 - I think represent tentative Salisbury quits as question touched on some of this but

51:53 - I'd like to dig in a little bit more on it and that's

51:55 - something I I I started paying attention to last year.

51:59 - There has been some effort to to look at a rewrite for title thirty five it's

52:04 - possibly leading to possible redundancy some old language

52:07 - and maybe looking at

52:09 - some the things we were doing and

52:11 - and how we can make life easier

52:12 - for your department for local government as well

52:15 - I'm wondering.

52:16 - What

52:16 - what what input do you have on that

52:18 - what's the process we should be

52:20 - engaging in to do that who are the.

52:24 - Decision makers that should be

52:26 - providing input and that I'm wondering if you just

52:28 - elaborate on the Lennon what's the urgency for that.

52:31 - So

52:31 - Thank you for that question

52:33 - represent rented

52:34 - the urgency from our perspective is yesterday.

52:37 - We've been dealing with you know the challenges that we have currently entitled

52:41 - thirty five for a number of years right now

52:44 - I think

52:44 - there is a

52:46 - committee

52:47 - task force and an advisory committee that's brought together and the

52:50 - a joint state government commission right now under

52:52 - center resolution one seventy seven of twenty twenty five

52:56 - so that is working we had the first meeting

52:59 - there are a number of meetings and I think

53:00 - they have to come up with a report by November

53:03 - of this year regarding the recommendations

53:06 - we continue to engage with all the constituent groups that and includes our county

53:10 - emergency managers municipal emergency managers

53:14 - county commissioners association of Pennsylvania municipal league a number of other.

53:19 - Boroughs associations to be able to really take a look at what does

53:23 - the future of emergency management and the structure

53:26 - and function of it look like in the commonwealth

53:28 - and then also to address ways ways that we can lead with our programs right now we're

53:33 - beholden to the federal government for the most part

53:36 - on administering their programs and we know that there are a lot of changes at the

53:40 - federal level that potentially are going to affect the

53:43 - aoa

53:44 - that residents of the commonwealth moving forward and it's going to be potentially

53:48 - harder and much harder for us to be able to you get a

53:51 - federal disaster declaration to be able to recover the goal from our perspective is

53:56 - really to take a look at state programs like our disaster recovery assistance program

54:00 - that was authorized in twenty twenty three

54:03 - of you know that has fit the the

54:06 - the the missing piece

54:08 - of when we can't get the federal disaster Declan patients to be able to provide

54:12 - resources for people to be able to recover

54:14 - so it's looking at engaging all those constituent organizations

54:18 - and then taking a look at what is working right now

54:21 - and then what does the future of emergency management need to look like in a

54:25 - commonwealth with over twenty five hundred municipalities.

54:29 - Are

54:29 - and you mentioned that

54:30 - disaster recovery assistance program

54:33 - what are some of the successes that you've seen from that program and and how are you

54:37 - adapting to the to the federal changes that you mentioned.

54:40 - Another great question so that program as have been authorized about nine times so

54:45 - far since two thousand and twenty three.

54:47 - They've been smaller incidents where it's been

54:50 - flooding impact the communities it's helped about.

54:53 - High eighties low

54:54 - around ninety people

54:56 - and the and it's really centered around three areas it's really home repairs to get

55:02 - them back into a safe sanitary and secure home

55:05 - it's temporary housing if they're displaced from their

55:07 - home while they're getting their home back together

55:09 - and it's really essential personal pro Liberty that they may have lost in that

55:12 - disaster that they need to be able to maintain their

55:15 - employment in those types of things or to be able to live.

55:18 - So we've seen

55:20 - tremendous work in that program partner with our voluntary organizations active in

55:24 - disasters in the state component and

55:27 - what's really critical is case management because we can't do it all with our program

55:31 - when we looked back at the times it was deployed

55:34 - and fema's individual assistance if there was a federal disaster declaration would

55:39 - have equated to about thirty five hundred

55:40 - dollars that these individuals would have gotten

55:43 - our program at the way it's structured right now on

55:46 - average they're seeing about fifty eight hundred dollars

55:49 - that is a significant boost for the folks that have no other

55:52 - alternative they can't get a loan to be able to recover

55:55 - so we've seen a lot of success

55:57 - a future we want to flip that program and we want to lead with that program rather

56:01 - than wait to see whether we can get federal disaster aid

56:04 - we can lead with that program

56:06 - make it a much more efficient we can turn it on a lot faster and if we ever do get to

56:11 - a federal does astor declaration we have the ability to be able to get the cost

56:15 - associated with that reimbursed through the federal disaster disaster declaration I

56:19 - see my times out but thank you all for your service and thank you for your response

56:22 - thank you.

56:25 - Thanks gentlemen representative Nelson.

56:28 - Thank you mr chair

56:29 - gentlemen welcome to the chamber and

56:32 - commissioner I want to thank you for your visits to west more land county you know our

56:36 - firemen thank you we appreciate your commitment and

56:39 - and being in person showing up

56:41 - at those

56:41 - in in numerous trainings and activities where

56:44 - our firefighters are going.

56:45 - I.

56:46 - Was really looking forward to this mod

56:48 - because one of the areas of concern I have with the budget.

56:51 - Is in the area of the urban

56:53 - search and rescue

56:54 - team the u s a are

56:56 - specifically

56:58 - governor shapiro is proposing a

57:00 - six million dollar

57:01 - cut

57:02 - in that line item you know which would

57:04 - directly

57:05 - impact

57:06 - that western Pennsylvania

57:08 - risk sponsor team

57:09 - this

57:09 - bipartisan

57:11 - two thousand and twenty four

57:13 - we set that into motion there was a commitment

57:15 - or agreement made that

57:17 - that six million dollars would be there as the team is building up

57:21 - I think

57:21 - your office has a contract

57:23 - and

57:24 - with the funding agreement is with the city of

57:26 - Pittsburgh which is sponsoring the agency see.

57:29 - For the western Pennsylvania

57:31 - urban search and rescue team

57:33 - what's

57:34 - with this six million dollar cut what's

57:36 - happening with the support

57:37 - of western Pennsylvania's team.

57:39 - Sure so there's

57:41 - no lack of support for that team right now there is

57:45 - so that is the second year so they'll receives

57:48 - twelve mb million total for support of that team

57:51 - there was also a d c d Grant

57:53 - previous to that that they receive support for

57:55 - that as you were saying that is the second that

57:57 - the governor's proposed cutting

57:59 - that six million dollars

58:01 - so

58:02 - There were six million dollars in last year's budget yes there were six million

58:05 - dollars in the budget before that as well so

58:07 - we're working right right now with the team

58:10 - and they provided us the sponsoring agency agreement

58:14 - later that they

58:15 - city Pittsburgh wanted to be the sponsoring

58:17 - agency in January of two thousand and twenty five

58:20 - but mr mr director.

58:22 - I spoke with a member of that team

58:24 - and to quote in.

58:26 - The urban search

58:27 - team is hanging on by it's fingernails and

58:30 - is still waiting for last year's six million.

58:33 - Now we're proposing cutting

58:35 - this year.

58:36 - I spoke to

58:37 - west more land county emergency response

58:40 - they said that

58:41 - this

58:42 - as our usa our team is still building capabilities

58:46 - cutting the monies this year

58:48 - will jeopardize

58:49 - jeopardize the timeline

58:51 - for certification

58:52 - and

58:53 - when I smoked at

58:54 - allegheny county

58:55 - he varies I mean he did a great job very simply said no funding

58:59 - means no team.

59:01 - They will have a and I think it's a discrepancy in how it's being described they will

59:06 - have a total of twelve million dollars in the last two fiscal year budgets

59:10 - coming to them eventually

59:12 - we have the Grant agreement for the first six million right now we receive that

59:16 - within the last week that is signed off up by the city of Pittsburgh

59:20 - there we are working on another Grant agreement associated

59:23 - with last year's budget that they will be receiving

59:26 - but it's

59:26 - money will be coming to them so it'll be a total of twelve million that is being

59:30 - direct if in this budget the governor gets his way

59:34 - where will the six billion

59:36 - six million dollars in this budget come from.

59:40 - There there will be no more mo money in this

59:42 - budget because they were legislatively directed

59:46 - funding pieces that were specific to that team there was a

59:50 - committee that was brought together under the joint state government commission under

59:53 - act one thirteen of twenty twenty four to be able to study

59:57 - urban search and rescue in the commonwealth and to be

59:59 - 932 able to make a series of recommendations regarding.

01:00 - 07.188 What is available in the commonwealth what the future should look like and how that

01:00 - 11.358 should be funded there are a number of recommendations in that report regarding

01:00 - 14.104 funding going forward and we're more than happy to be able

01:00 - 16.782 to work with the general assembly to be able to determine

01:00 - 18.822 what right looks like for

01:00 - 21.952 the totality of the urban search and rescue system.

01:00 - 26.362 For your your honesty there you know with potentially that six million.

01:00 - 28.152 Cut may be holding

01:00 - 30.822 that could be a disagreement from western Pennsylvania

01:00 - 34.252 emergency responders regarding those funds moving forward

01:00 - 35.052 to me

01:00 - 36.208 commitment

01:00 - 38.682 commitments made should be commitments kept

01:00 - 39.363 and

01:00 - 40.602 I'd like to shift over

01:00 - 42.192 to and

01:00 - 43.194 puzzle

01:00 - 47.454 for the thirty million dollars for taking from the property tax relief fund.

01:00 - 48.624 Again that

01:00 - 50.424 to me this is very concerning because

01:00 - 51.604 a great program

01:00 - 52.684 everybody wants

01:00 - 55.494 to support our fire and emergency responders

01:00 - 57.484 but the governor's taking.

01:00 - 59.314 Thirty

01:00 - 04.104 million dollars from seniors and working families and property tax relief

01:01 - 08.854 I mean we're spending three billion new dollars in this budget.

01:01 - 12.624 This really good program why not get those funds someplace else

01:01 - 14.944 why take from homeowners.

01:01 - 18.004 So representative.

01:01 - 19.464 Thank you for

01:01 - 22.494 bringing that issue up and allowing me to address it

01:01 - 25.674 unfortunately I'm going to dance around the question

01:01 - 26.244 because

01:01 - 28.284 as fire commissioner I'm not

01:01 - 32.454 involved in identifying the revenue ser sources for program

01:01 - 36.334 so I will have to defer that question to the budget office.

01:01 - 37.134 Thank you sir

01:01 - 38.944 thank you mr chair.

01:01 - 42.396 Thank the gentleman representative allegory

01:01 - 44.819 thank you mr chairman and director pat field

01:01 - 47.244 and mr cook thank you so much for your time

01:01 - 48.714 and for your team

01:01 - 50.904 and your staff for preparation for today

01:01 - 53.124 and we heard a lot about

01:01 - 58.110 the retention of volunteers we heard a lot about what we're trying to do to get

01:01 - 02.274 volunteer firefighters to to be retained and continue to volunteer their time

01:02 - 04.234 within fire services

01:02 - 05.574 I'm from Montgomery county

01:02 - 08.045 of our population is hovering close to eight

01:02 - 10.434 hundred and ninety five thousand people right now.

01:02 - 13.644 We're getting close to that nine hundred thousand Mark

01:02 - 17.574 surrounding us in bucks county and in Chester county

01:02 - 20.550 you have six hundred and fifty five thousand p apple and he also have five hundred

01:02 - 22.654 and seventy one thousand people respectively.

01:02 - 26.315 You go to the north in berks and then in lehigh that

01:02 - 29.674 population even grows you go south and you have Philadelphia.

01:02 - 30.984 So

01:02 - 35.244 Of those three counties that I mentioned that's two point one million people

01:02 - 37.384 within those three counties

01:02 - 41.760 and we're still struggling to find volunteer firefighters within those counties some

01:02 - 44.484 of the areas have paid services that's true

01:02 - 46.344 but a lot of the areas don't

01:02 - 49.384 and then we get some rural parts as well.

01:02 - 51.234 My question for you

01:02 - 52.564 is.

01:02 - 56.582 Outside of some of the typical things that we talk about

01:02 - 00.424 with trying to recruit and retain or volunteer firefighters

01:03 - 02.974 in in tax tax

01:03 - 04.494 exemptions or

01:03 - 06.394 property tax.

01:03 - 14.014 Credits or or other programs for educational aspects what what more can we do

01:03 - 20.400 to try and recruit and retain volunteer firefighters if we have a population base

01:03 - 24.544 that allows for it we have plenty of people that is that is a truth.

01:03 - 26.944 How do we get them to volunteer.

01:03 - 32.334 I'll stop I'll start and answer representative

01:03 - 33.814 with a positive

01:03 - 35.814 side of that question which is

01:03 - 39.874 we have to teach the fire companies to actively recruit

01:03 - 43.237 and what I mean by that phrase is where we see

01:03 - 46.644 volunteer fire companies having success in recruiting

01:03 - 48.714 volunteer firefly there's a

01:03 - 51.364 there's a population willing to volunteer.

01:03 - 54.984 Be there at what we call actively recruiting

01:03 - 58.015 they're out in the community they're at the farmers

01:03 - 00.654 market or at the sporting events at the high school

01:04 - 02.004 there you know.

01:04 - 04.254 Countless hours

01:04 - 04.854 of

01:04 - 07.074 Recruiting activities right.

01:04 - 10.194 In and those are the fire departments that are having

01:04 - 13.194 the best success in finding volunteers

01:04 - 15.564 but it starts with that first point

01:04 - 20.044 agree there's a pool of people available to recruit

01:04 - 22.584 and I mentioned we've been doing some preliminary

01:04 - 25.761 study of this issue in the review of the existing

01:04 - 28.494 data that's out there in some old studies he's

01:04 - 33.330 approximately seventy four percent of the people surveyed in Pennsylvania by the

01:04 - 36.234 international association of fire chiefs study that was done

01:04 - 38.524 I think in twenty twenty two.

01:04 - 40.824 Seventy four percent of those people surveyed

01:04 - 43.624 want nothing to do with the fire service.

01:04 - 45.414 Sawyer or volunteer

01:04 - 47.944 so if if that's the case.

01:04 - 53.160 There is a different aspect that we have to look at we we can't just continue to do

01:04 - 56.374 the same thing and expect a different result to occur.

01:04 - 59.754 Would you think in these larger population centers.

01:05 - 00.564 I

01:05 - 03.114 Will this is not something that is

01:05 - 03.834 a

01:05 - 06.504 Partisan issue for any of us were trying to find

01:05 - 11.484 fire service for our communities and for protection for our citizens that live there

01:05 - 13.794 this is not a Democratic or republican thing

01:05 - 15.534 it is a Pennsylvania thing

01:05 - 19.044 that we have to do and we're trying to find solutions and figure them out

01:05 - 19.974 what we can

01:05 - 21.124 do to help this

01:05 - 22.564 this.

01:05 - 25.894 This problem that we currently have in getting volunteer firefighters

01:05 - 28.794 however in those larger population centers

01:05 - 31.884 what is the opinion of

01:05 - 36.204 the the state fire commissioner and your office and also pima

01:05 - 39.964 with regard to incentivizing going toward a more professional

01:05 - 43.104 service in those areas at a may want them.

01:05 - 45.444 Would would like to have them

01:05 - 46.854 or and how are we

01:05 - 48.604 trying to.

01:05 - 53.914 Incentivize them to go that route if that's what a community is choosing to do.

01:05 - 58.161 So I think I think that there's a multifaceted

01:05 - 00.594 answer to that question as well right so

01:06 - 02.664 is the population willing

01:06 - 04.324 to engage.

01:06 - 06.354 What are what are the fire departments

01:06 - 09.024 doing to engage them and recruit them

01:06 - 14.514 but then we also have to look at the regionalization pieces well because part of the

01:06 - 16.764 the pressure on recruitment across the commonwealth

01:06 - 20.074 especially in our more urban areas

01:06 - 20.814 and

01:06 - 24.274 there's too many fire departments to pick from

01:06 - 28.774 and so we're drawing on this the shrinking pool of people

01:06 - 31.624 by the same number of fire companies

01:06 - 33.964 the math just doesn't balance

01:06 - 34.674 and

01:06 - 37.856 so I think that we also need to include a discussion

01:06 - 41.554 of re a regional approach to fire service provision

01:06 - 42.694 as part of our

01:06 - 44.524 recruitment discussion.

01:06 - 45.504 Appreciate

01:06 - 46.104 that

01:06 - 48.694 and I now use allegheny county.

01:06 - 49.494 I'll

01:06 - 50.904 I'll hold that then and

01:06 - 51.712 thank you for your

01:06 - 53.266 reach out for further discussion I look forward

01:06 - 55.984 to continuing to work with you thank you.

01:06 - 59.404 Thank the gentleman representative krupa.

01:06 - 03.240 Thank you mr chairman and I want to thank all the testifies not just for being here

01:07 - 08.004 today and being prepared but for your support and your advocacy

01:07 - 12.364 I think everybody in this room and your average taxpayer would agree

01:07 - 16.464 that one of the core functions of government is public safety

01:07 - 20.694 and that's what really gets me upset and I'm going to step on my soapbox for a second

01:07 - 25.920 the wasteful fraudulent and abusive spending across the board not not not so much

01:07 - 27.624 with respect to what you all were doing

01:07 - 29.844 you guys are operating on shoestring budgets

01:07 - 31.084 but if if

01:07 - 35.364 lawmakers and bureaucrats would boldly defend and take a stance

01:07 - 36.174 about that

01:07 - 38.184 July wasteful and abusive spending

01:07 - 40.285 funding our first responders should not be the

01:07 - 42.864 issue that is today and it should be a priority

01:07 - 45.474 and I commend you all for for what you do

01:07 - 47.524 and your advocacy efforts.

01:07 - 49.864 But I'm not going to hold my breath

01:07 - 52.437 that that is going to happen as I want to pivot

01:07 - 54.894 to something that maybe we can make happen

01:07 - 57.144 and that's with respect to updates

01:07 - 58.884 on title thirty five

01:07 - 01.824 the emergency services management code

01:08 - 04.679 and it's it's debt my understanding is that it's decades

01:08 - 08.104 old that it's been there's been piecemeal updates

01:08 - 09.874 but it predates

01:08 - 12.684 modern technology modern threats

01:08 - 15.024 and modern response models

01:08 - 20.424 so at this point do we continue with the peace smell and bells and and pieces

01:08 - 24.744 where would you start with that respect do we go back to the drawing board

01:08 - 28.254 and what areas do you see this outdated legislation

01:08 - 31.354 really hindering your ability to be efficient.

01:08 - 34.114 I'll hop on that one.

01:08 - 37.424 Representative thank you very much for that and I enjoy

01:08 - 40.614 your passion regarding updates to title thirty five so

01:08 - 45.274 we are very passionate about it as well I think there are a lot of pieces

01:08 - 49.050 that really need to be addressed within title thirty five I think one of the

01:08 - 52.224 challenges we have obviously is that our form and function of government

01:08 - 54.304 of being based in a commonwealth.

01:08 - 56.544 So obviously you know

01:08 - 01.080 the balance of power being at the municipal level requiring all municipalities within

01:09 - 04.500 the commonwealth to be able to have trained and certified emergency management

01:09 - 08.130 coordinators those types of things I think we need to look at I think there's

01:09 - 12.274 different ways of being able to address the needs at this point in time

01:09 - 16.560 but it also potentially is going to transfer the responsibilities to the next level

01:09 - 18.954 of government which would be the county form of government

01:09 - 23.850 I think the structure and function is one piece of it I think the funding is that the

01:09 - 26.034 other piece of it of what that looks like

01:09 - 30.324 and we are more than welcome to have conversations regarding

01:09 - 33.174 what state programs we think would work

01:09 - 36.958 with a disaster recovery assistance program we have a lot

01:09 - 39.744 of knowledge in what works and what doesn't work right now

01:09 - 42.684 we have updated that program about three times

01:09 - 46.704 we're looking to be able to use a portion of the money that is allocated to the

01:09 - 48.685 general assembly has allocated to that program to

01:09 - 51.664 be able to start a public infrastructure program

01:09 - 54.935 and really what that looks like and potentially our

01:09 - 57.834 goal is to enable the solutions at the lowest level

01:09 - 02.184 right so and sometimes that's providing technical expertise sometimes as

01:10 - 04.974 providing specialized teams and equipment

01:10 - 10.020 sometimes that is providing funding at that level as well to be able to enable those

01:10 - 13.434 solutions and to be able to recover from disasters faster

01:10 - 18.660 and address the needs of the disaster survivors or those that are most impacted so I

01:10 - 22.260 think anything we can do to kind of rally around that to be able to take a look at

01:10 - 26.634 what we can do is really critical but I think there are significant portions of that

01:10 - 30.184 we have a number of recommendations already developed

01:10 - 31.141 and

01:10 - 36.094 we are more than happy to be able have those discussions and like I said this.

01:10 - 39.274 S r one seventy seven committee that was developed.

01:10 - 40.474 That is

01:10 - 44.880 made of a task force of legislators that are on there as well as an advisory

01:10 - 47.584 committee that is a cross section of.

01:10 - 51.684 Municipalities and emergency managers at the county level plus

01:10 - 53.184 all the representative organ

01:10 - 54.146 such as

01:10 - 55.796 sea captain piece adds

01:10 - 59.546 things like that so we welcome that conversation but there's a lot

01:10 - 03.326 that we would like addressed in a rewrite and not to try to piecemeal it

01:11 - 06.449 so it does become very frustrating though the wheels

01:11 - 09.236 of government turn slow and and I think that and

01:11 - 10.706 many times that's a good thing

01:11 - 14.476 but what do you see as roadblocks right now because

01:11 - 18.026 this is this is an obvious issue it's a bipartisan issue

01:11 - 20.946 what are the roadblocks that you're.

01:11 - 23.966 Encountering and what can we as lawmakers do to help

01:11 - 26.042 get this issue across the finish line so that we

01:11 - 28.136 can see those results that you're advocating for.

01:11 - 30.746 I think funding is one piece of it

01:11 - 34.466 to be able to take a look at what state funding looks like this

01:11 - 36.006 right now.

01:11 - 38.561 Federal Grant funding touches all sixty seven

01:11 - 41.276 counties in their emergency management programs

01:11 - 43.016 and some counties are

01:11 - 46.124 extremely reliant on that some other counties more

01:11 - 48.866 robust capability put more budget money into that

01:11 - 51.845 but I think looking at the funding structure is one

01:11 - 54.446 of those pieces and being able to take a look at

01:11 - 55.226 you know

01:11 - 59.936 breaking down barriers I think we need to just think differently about

01:12 - 02.483 you know what emergency management looks like for the

01:12 - 05.336 next thirty years and it's time to be able to bring those

01:12 - 07.136 thoughts and ideas to the table

01:12 - 08.822 so my time's up thank you very much I look

01:12 - 11.796 forward to continued conversation on that issue.

01:12 - 14.376 Thank the gentle lady representative curry.

01:12 - 16.116 Thank you chairman.

01:12 - 19.826 Hello everybody thank you for being here today it's

01:12 - 23.196 always good to see you all and thank you for your service.

01:12 - 25.356 I represent

01:12 - 27.296 parts of Delaware county

01:12 - 31.176 and right now many of our communities

01:12 - 33.626 continue to experience

01:12 - 37.926 challenges in regards to ambulance services.

01:12 - 40.496 It can take sometimes and

01:12 - 41.516 an available

01:12 - 42.636 available

01:12 - 44.586 ambulance to respond

01:12 - 48.322 and often the ambulance needs to travel long

01:12 - 51.326 distances because of our health care growing

01:12 - 53.376 healthcare deserts

01:12 - 54.326 to get

01:12 - 56.636 an individual to the care that they need

01:12 - 57.996 this is happening in

01:12 - 01.856 both urban and suburban and we know what happens in the rural communities

01:13 - 03.636 across Pennsylvania

01:13 - 06.086 it is essential that we find ways to

01:13 - 10.286 provide support for these services and ensure that people have

01:13 - 13.506 the needed access to these lifesaving

01:13 - 15.446 emergency services and so

01:13 - 17.066 what are your thoughts

01:13 - 20.516 on including m s in the new supplemental Grant program

01:13 - 22.946 in addition to the fire companies

01:13 - 25.386 because we know that they work hand-in-hand

01:13 - 28.686 but if there's only supplemental for the fire departments

01:13 - 34.016 where do we make room for the m s and could this be done within the proposed

01:13 - 35.346 thirty million

01:13 - 38.316 or would more funding have to be.

01:13 - 41.256 Included to make this program

01:13 - 42.666 a possibility.

01:13 - 48.516 Ma'am thank you for the opportunity to address this this issue.

01:13 - 49.976 The

01:13 - 55.106 proposal put forth by governor shapiro is to provide the supplemental funding

01:13 - 55.946 to

01:13 - 56.756 The

01:13 - 58.436 fire companies only

01:13 - 02.396 the reason for that is fire companies unlike illness

01:14 - 04.916 have no fallback funding stream

01:14 - 07.416 that they can rely on.

01:14 - 11.336 The administration is commit added to working in finding

01:14 - 14.906 better solutions for the gms funding issue

01:14 - 16.146 than.

01:14 - 18.366 Temporary Grant funding.

01:14 - 20.696 They're looking at more permanent solutions

01:14 - 24.416 I'm not directly involved in those discussions as the fire commissioner

01:14 - 24.926 right

01:14 - 26.036 through my

01:14 - 27.816 partnership with

01:14 - 29.016 director Martin

01:14 - 33.246 m s bureau I'm aware that those conversations are occurring

01:14 - 37.656 and where this does touch the fire commission directly

01:14 - 39.476 is when we have

01:14 - 42.157 the volunteer fire departments in our career

01:14 - 45.176 fire departments that step into that service gap

01:14 - 48.956 so where we know there's a delay in an ambulance arriving

01:14 - 51.476 the fire the company steps up to provide

01:14 - 53.276 quick response services

01:14 - 54.656 in one model

01:14 - 00.096 but right now the commission has no funding stream to support that activity.

01:15 - 00.506 As

01:15 - 02.366 They are absorbing that cost

01:15 - 04.916 so there needs to be some improvements were that

01:15 - 05.576 okay

01:15 - 07.346 thank you so much about that and then.

01:15 - 09.656 I just wanted to ask before my time

01:15 - 10.956 goes out.

01:15 - 14.352 In upper darby where I live and where I

01:15 - 18.036 represent and we have a smoke detector giveaway.

01:15 - 21.966 Program and a safety home assessment program.

01:15 - 25.116 We have like close to ninety thousand

01:15 - 28.566 residents that live in that township and.

01:15 - 29.816 We're just

01:15 - 33.116 trying to figure out how to make that funding available

01:15 - 37.226 for these programs that are essential that actually helped the fire department

01:15 - 39.816 if folks have these detectors

01:15 - 42.456 and safety home safety assessments

01:15 - 44.856 do you find any room

01:15 - 46.596 in that Grant

01:15 - 52.686 and the ability to provide grants to r minister capacities for these type of programs

01:15 - 57.566 so so we work with two organizations to assist with

01:15 - 04.562 those types of programs the first is the American red cross where they will work with

01:16 - 07.785 the local community and the local fire departments

01:16 - 10.256 to canvass specific high risk neighborhoods

01:16 - 12.246 we do it yeah.

01:16 - 13.856 That is a great program

01:16 - 18.326 and we encourage every fire department to reach out and work with them

01:16 - 19.826 to to help

01:16 - 23.826 mitigate the pra the life-safety problem due to fire.

01:16 - 26.477 The other thing that we're working through the community

01:16 - 29.906 risk reduction office in the commission is to establish

01:16 - 31.446 these.

01:16 - 33.576 Fire safety programs

01:16 - 34.376 more

01:16 - 37.476 rigorous programs in within the municipalities

01:16 - 40.616 but currently the commission has no funding

01:16 - 42.216 to provide

01:16 - 44.186 a pass through to the communities

01:16 - 47.396 the communities would have to secure funding at the local level

01:16 - 49.256 okay thank you for that and

01:16 - 52.236 one last thing the last snow storm

01:16 - 55.706 one of my municipalities is struggling with getting funding

01:16 - 57.656 the codes department is saying

01:16 - 59.606 they're looking for funding

01:16 - 01.976 to help them should they be looking

01:17 - 04.346 at the county level or how can this

01:17 - 05.496 and.

01:17 - 07.236 How can we proceed.

01:17 - 09.056 So that's a great question

01:17 - 11.006 and that goes back to

01:17 - 14.576 looking at title thirty five and state funding streams to be able to do that

01:17 - 18.272 that's something that we really want to address with a public infrastructure program

01:17 - 22.262 and take a look at snow removal we know that we did not have historic snow to be able

01:17 - 24.836 to get to a federal disaster declaration so our

01:17 - 28.016 programs are really limited when it comes to providing that support

01:17 - 30.056 thank you so much for your time

01:17 - 31.566 thank you chairman.

01:17 - 37.106 Sure thanks gentle eighty

01:17 - 37.916 and

01:17 - 39.036 goes to

01:17 - 40.686 representative riker.

01:17 - 44.016 That comes to vice chairman gentlemen thank you for your time here today.

01:17 - 48.752 Mr fire commissioner I have I have heard a lot of compliments from my fire dms

01:17 - 52.466 companies about your your office especially when it comes to Grant funding so

01:17 - 55.526 thank you for that I mean it it certainly means a lot whenever you are

01:17 - 58.191 responsive to these fire companies and and

01:17 - 00.656 just you know being on the forefront out there

01:18 - 03.563 of is is represented Korea was just mentioning

01:18 - 04.683 vms funding

01:18 - 06.356 is is facing some challenging

01:18 - 08.698 and in particular I'm sure you're aware that

01:18 - 11.246 back in November the auditor general to four

01:18 - 15.332 have found that approximately twenty million dollars or sixty eight percent of the

01:18 - 17.696 emergency medical services operating fund

01:18 - 20.787 administered by the department of health obviously not your department

01:18 - 22.196 is is unaccounted for

01:18 - 23.756 do you have any concerns with

01:18 - 26.076 how this program has been managed.

01:18 - 28.026 I.

01:18 - 32.066 Am sorry but I don't know that it's appropriate for to me to comment

01:18 - 36.506 because the only information I have is what has been published in the media

01:18 - 39.386 as soon as your part as your as the commission is that have

01:18 - 42.506 you been involved with the assisting the department of health at all or

01:18 - 44.306 are sort of stepping in and and

01:18 - 45.926 working with them to address this

01:18 - 47.076 this concern

01:18 - 52.106 not on the financial concerns wore on the operational end of how do we provide

01:18 - 54.636 medical services to the communities

01:18 - 55.616 I I

01:18 - 58.187 just you know and I'll sort of admit this.

01:18 - 02.036 In the m s n m s company in my district actually sent me an email and they were.

01:19 - 03.986 Suggesting an

01:19 - 07.142 something for you to think about if you would be if the state fire commissioner I

01:19 - 09.866 would be interested in taking over and administering this program

01:19 - 12.546 obviously due to concerns

01:19 - 14.963 with the administration I think it's been going on

01:19 - 17.186 for about fifteen years I think the auditors found

01:19 - 20.396 the auditor general has found and into the point that

01:19 - 22.809 this particular e m s company has actually been

01:19 - 25.196 reluctant to apply for this this Grant funding

01:19 - 27.263 due to these concerns would that be something

01:19 - 29.726 that that you all might be considering taking over.

01:19 - 32.516 I'd be willing to have conversations

01:19 - 33.326 and

01:19 - 36.032 I don't know whether it's appropriate to commit

01:19 - 38.946 or not until we would have those conversations.

01:19 - 39.536 I

01:19 - 40.946 Certainly understand that just

01:19 - 42.846 sort of wanted to plant the seed again this was

01:19 - 45.219 something that I'm hearing from my folks back home and and

01:19 - 47.756 again it's it's a you know just a reflection on how well

01:19 - 49.910 the state fire commissioners is operating

01:19 - 52.256 and in dealing with these fire dms company so

01:19 - 55.086 thank you sir I certainly appreciate your time.

01:19 - 00.426 Share thanks gentlemen and recognizes representative medicine.

01:20 - 03.783 Good morning and thank you so much for joining

01:20 - 06.146 us today I wanted to give to shout outs

01:20 - 09.416 one to the administration for up ticking

01:20 - 10.046 the

01:20 - 12.896 appropriations to the Harrisburg fire department

01:20 - 15.301 that is going to make a huge difference for our

01:20 - 17.876 Harrisburg fire department so I just want to thank you

01:20 - 19.386 for doing that

01:20 - 24.122 and then and also all of the grants that have been awarded to volunteer fire

01:20 - 27.066 companies in my district it's gets much appreciated.

01:20 - 29.426 Then second I want to highlight pima work

01:20 - 33.056 we had a tornado go through my district a few years a

01:20 - 34.176 year or so ago

01:20 - 36.776 and you're right on the spot you

01:20 - 39.086 provided a lot of resources and support

01:20 - 41.256 and that allowed our community to rebel once

01:20 - 43.046 I just want to thank you so much for that.

01:20 - 48.446 My question is along data centers I have some being proposed into my district

01:20 - 51.626 I've had constituents reach out over a number of different questions

01:20 - 53.696 but one of those questions was

01:20 - 56.396 how does this work with fire what are the

01:20 - 59.108 what are the dangers of data centers and how

01:20 - 01.616 can local volunteer fire departments or paid for

01:21 - 04.173 it's what are some best practices and what can

01:21 - 07.490 they do to communicate to constituents that.

01:21 - 09.700 If there are a fire what are the risk and

01:21 - 11.390 best ways to respond.

01:21 - 13.120 Okay

01:21 - 16.233 that my answers can be very similar to the recruitment

01:21 - 18.970 and retention answer it is such a multi flawed

01:21 - 20.710 faceted subject right

01:21 - 21.730 that

01:21 - 24.605 I don't know that we have enough time to adequately

01:21 - 27.400 address it in this venue so that's something we can

01:21 - 31.520 sit down and have a much more detailed conversation but.

01:21 - 33.920 Just like with solar farms

01:21 - 35.860 and windmill farms

01:21 - 38.440 these are highly specialized incidents

01:21 - 39.710 that

01:21 - 42.370 if there's no life safety threat

01:21 - 44.620 the local fire department may

01:21 - 47.420 and I want to emphasize the word may

01:21 - 49.300 the best approach may be

01:21 - 50.140 to just

01:21 - 54.670 secure the area and wait for the company safety representatives to show up

01:21 - 57.100 and mitigate the incident that way

01:21 - 00.470 these data centers are such huge structures

01:22 - 01.910 and.

01:22 - 03.910 There's

01:22 - 06.284 probably no fire department on the face of the earth

01:22 - 09.160 is going to put a fire out in one of them once it gets rolling

01:22 - 13.730 therefore the code enforcement piece becomes huge with these facilities.

01:22 - 18.340 Yeah cause I I think planning seems to be a huge factor in this

01:22 - 19.700 before

01:22 - 23.746 municipalities I know they get interested because they hear about the revenue yep but

01:22 - 27.770 it does seem a lot of proactive conversation has to happen first.

01:22 - 31.840 Particularly around how to respond should there be an incident

01:22 - 32.470 at

01:22 - 33.670 All even to this day

01:22 - 35.180 are there any.

01:22 - 38.306 In your knowledge have we had fires at any data centers

01:22 - 41.150 and then what was the response when that happened.

01:22 - 45.170 Knock on wood thankfully Pennsylvania has not.

01:22 - 48.580 There have been fires in data centers across the u s

01:22 - 52.130 and usually they are large scale losses.

01:22 - 54.590 When you say losses can you.

01:22 - 57.410 I don't want to speculate on dollars but we're into

01:22 - 59.890 the millions of dollars probably billions of dollars

01:23 - 01.210 of property loss

01:23 - 03.676 I see I was just making sure we weren't talking about lives

01:23 - 04.744 not lives just

01:23 - 06.160 just property okay

01:23 - 07.640 thank you.

01:23 - 13.940 Sure thanks gentlemen and recognizes representative danza.

01:23 - 16.000 Thank you mr chairman and

01:23 - 19.060 thank commissioner cook and staff for being here today

01:23 - 22.880 I just want to make two points real quick before I get into.

01:23 - 26.290 My issues I have two fire departments merge this year

01:23 - 29.004 and for some reason they got some less money

01:23 - 31.360 for the fire dms grants are for somebody that

01:23 - 33.446 whether they miss something or there's a glitch

01:23 - 35.150 somewhere along the way if we he could just

01:23 - 37.570 have you guys overlooked out to make sure that they get

01:23 - 40.490 that money it's just that money is that important

01:23 - 42.130 to those guys and then also

01:23 - 46.940 the the statewide computer system just doesn't seem to be user-friendly

01:23 - 49.930 are you guys making any changes can you touch just a little bit

01:23 - 53.890 worried sad and you know there seems to be just maybe lack of information on it

01:23 - 54.790 so

01:23 - 57.920 I'll address it at a high level and.

01:23 - 59.770 Initially in

01:24 - 01.400 last summer.

01:24 - 02.830 The commission

01:24 - 06.310 did drop the ball on the roll out piece and how welled up

01:24 - 07.490 or not

01:24 - 11.330 how well that was not communicated to the community

01:24 - 11.980 and

01:24 - 15.162 this is not a state driven change this is

01:24 - 18.310 driven by the federal reporting requirements

01:24 - 20.470 and the fact that the past

01:24 - 23.750 software vendor the commonwealth was using.

01:24 - 25.660 That software was

01:24 - 27.820 sunset it two years ago

01:24 - 32.590 the vendor kept it running for Pennsylvania until we could make a procurement decision

01:24 - 35.300 so that change was inevitable

01:24 - 36.820 did my office

01:24 - 40.060 dropped the ball on the communication piece in the robot yes

01:24 - 42.518 did that make the roll out much more painful

01:24 - 44.890 for the fire companies than it needed to be

01:24 - 46.160 yes

01:24 - 47.720 on the positive

01:24 - 50.750 for the last few months I've been in the field

01:24 - 55.330 the feedback has been almost one hundred percent positive that once you're on

01:24 - 57.530 bordered once you're up and running.

01:24 - 59.920 The software is much better

01:25 - 02.375 than the previous vendor software.

01:25 - 04.150 Perfect thank you and I

01:25 - 08.470 applaud you for having the courage to say yeah summit about fell back on you so

01:25 - 09.730 so thank you for that

01:25 - 11.530 another question that they have

01:25 - 14.310 will there ever be a minimum of certifications

01:25 - 16.630 for a firefighter or across the state will there

01:25 - 20.110 ever be a minimum level that someone will need to be certified or

01:25 - 20.980 training

01:25 - 22.640 to be a fireman.

01:25 - 28.390 So the the answer to that can be problematic because I think

01:25 - 32.600 just like the previous discussion about the support firefighter

01:25 - 37.606 again I don't know that a single standard is going to be adequate to meet the needs

01:25 - 41.000 of the diverse nature that communities across the commonwealth

01:25 - 44.080 should there be minimum training for firefighter hers yes

01:25 - 47.058 should it be designed appropriate to the level of service

01:25 - 49.540 that the local fire department is going to provide

01:25 - 50.290 yes.

01:25 - 53.780 I don't know that a blanket state

01:25 - 55.040 standard

01:25 - 56.480 is good

01:25 - 59.690 for all of the fire departments in Pennsylvania.

01:26 - 00.910 Perfect

01:26 - 02.920 then my my last issue here

01:26 - 03.520 is

01:26 - 05.800 My fire department's ultra reet reach out

01:26 - 07.720 to municipal fire department Grant

01:26 - 12.430 on paper everybody is eligible for it the same as the fire dms grants whether you're

01:26 - 14.820 you're a career fire department you're paid or you're.

01:26 - 16.930 A volunteer but for this one

01:26 - 19.810 it seems on paper that the volunteer fire departments

01:26 - 23.110 are elegy well Ford but when they go through the process to fill it out

01:26 - 25.300 once they are notified or once they

01:26 - 27.687 I guess once they certify that they are a

01:26 - 29.830 nonprofit they kind of get kicked out of the

01:26 - 32.440 the application process can you touch a little bit on it

01:26 - 34.908 short and I don't remember the act number off the top

01:26 - 38.600 of my head but the legislation that enabled that program

01:26 - 41.706 specifically requires the fund going to be directed to

01:26 - 45.590 fire departments that are part of the municipal entity

01:26 - 47.530 so a volunteer fire department

01:26 - 48.800 that is

01:26 - 51.880 by organization a private nonprofit

01:26 - 53.050 organization

01:26 - 54.400 licensed under

01:26 - 55.527 department of state

01:26 - 57.730 does not qualify for the funding

01:26 - 58.840 and

01:26 - 00.770 yes does that.

01:27 - 04.660 Kind of leaned the funding towards career fire departments yes because

01:27 - 07.180 most if not all of our municipal

01:27 - 10.090 departments in Pennsylvania are career staffed

01:27 - 10.870 departments

01:27 - 12.680 yeah is that something.

01:27 - 15.760 As we look I mean we have any m s shortage we're almost

01:27 - 17.270 and.

01:27 - 20.520 You know I don't want to say we're in desperation mode but we're getting there

01:27 - 23.740 but is that something we could look to to open up that pot of money for

01:27 - 26.120 for everybody across the board.

01:27 - 27.590 So.

01:27 - 31.870 Again I'll I'll I'll get the numbers to everybody on the committee here but

01:27 - 33.340 that program

01:27 - 36.490 is drastically oversubscribed for the funding

01:27 - 41.450 so we get a total of five hundred thousand dollars for that program

01:27 - 43.961 we use fifty thousand of that dollars for

01:27 - 46.600 administrative costs to pay salaries and you know

01:27 - 49.550 how to to process the Grant applications

01:27 - 52.900 so we have a total of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars

01:27 - 53.500 to

01:27 - 55.130 Give away.

01:27 - 00.410 We receive over eight million dollars of requests every year for that program.

01:28 - 02.920 From our municipal departments

01:28 - 04.220 so

01:28 - 05.170 While I would

01:28 - 09.650 always agree to provide more funding to more fire departments.

01:28 - 13.558 We need to get a serious increase in the revenue

01:28 - 16.660 coming into the program to be able to support that

01:28 - 20.410 yeah and I would agree and I it's I think we heard it earlier today

01:28 - 22.258 where do we get that money from but I really

01:28 - 24.130 think it's time that we need to get together

01:28 - 26.770 support all of our fire r e m s

01:28 - 29.950 you guys keep us safe I thank you guys for everything you do for us and

01:28 - 33.190 I want to give a shout out to all our volunteers across the commonwealth

01:28 - 35.210 thank you thank you mr chairman.

01:28 - 36.436 Chair thanks the gentleman

01:28 - 38.480 recognizes representative bellman.

01:28 - 41.200 Thank you chair and thank you all for being here

01:28 - 43.400 so about a year ago

01:28 - 47.165 we had a small medical plane that went down on cotton Avenue and north

01:28 - 51.104 Philadelphia and I just want to talk a little bit about some unexpected events so

01:28 - 52.990 when these unexpected events happen

01:28 - 55.990 what is puma's role in

01:28 - 58.960 in the event and coordination with federal

01:28 - 00.710 and local officials.

01:29 - 05.500 Thank you represent for that question it depends on the magnitude of the event

01:29 - 07.630 so in that type of situation then

01:29 - 10.489 sometimes it's just incident monitoring if it can

01:29 - 13.210 be handled at the local level we monitor for those

01:29 - 14.510 types of incidents

01:29 - 17.036 we make notifications at the state level to be

01:29 - 19.660 able to make sure the resources may be prepared

01:29 - 21.380 in that situation

01:29 - 23.090 we had contact obviously with the city of

01:29 - 26.510 Philadelphia to understand what was going on.

01:29 - 28.489 We notify the governor's office of the

01:29 - 31.090 governor's office is aware that there's a lot of

01:29 - 35.410 information that occurs on but we considered like a fast-break incident like that

01:29 - 40.726 so that's a classic example of the initial report was a potential two seat plane that

01:29 - 43.120 came out in northeast Philly that may have crashed

01:29 - 47.416 we start to assimilate more information our watch center will get the tail number

01:29 - 50.224 that aircraft they'll look that up will understand

01:29 - 53.020 that it's not a two seat aircraft that it was a jet

01:29 - 56.800 we know that it's going to have a larger occupancy those types of things

01:29 - 58.210 so we start to

01:29 - 58.780 take

01:29 - 00.970 and put things in motion

01:30 - 05.956 but in reality it's really taking a look at what the the potential needs for

01:30 - 08.770 additional assistance or resource mrs may need

01:30 - 11.713 and communicating that so in that instance I actually

01:30 - 14.050 ended up going to the scene along with the governor

01:30 - 17.770 and I was down there for another day or so

01:30 - 22.210 we deployed liaison officers to the command post at the scene

01:30 - 23.570 they work

01:30 - 24.680 to be able to

01:30 - 29.296 identify any unmet needs that Philadelphia would have have we provided liaison

01:30 - 33.250 officers actually in the city emergency operations center as well

01:30 - 36.970 so we really tried to take a proactive approach to that

01:30 - 40.094 until we get more information and in certain situations

01:30 - 43.880 we actually may start to mobilize and move resources

01:30 - 48.526 even though the requesting or the jurisdiction that's impacted is not request that is

01:30 - 51.040 because they may be overwhelmed at that point in time

01:30 - 53.800 so we'll take a look at what information that we have

01:30 - 56.500 will make decisions on that we'll execute on those

01:30 - 58.130 on those decisions

01:30 - 01.840 are insane after the initial response is there a follow up response from pima.

01:31 - 04.706 Sure it depends on the situation said it depends on whether

01:31 - 08.320 it triggers any of our program so in like flooding type

01:31 - 09.280 patients

01:31 - 14.656 were dealing a classic example is a multi occupancy fire in Easton right now so

01:31 - 17.364 tomorrow and Saturday we'll have our staff and other

01:31 - 20.200 state agencies along with local agencies engaged

01:31 - 22.480 in a multi agency resource center

01:31 - 26.626 we know we worked in the the Philly situation with the mayor's office and had

01:31 - 29.590 representation at kind of the town hall that was development

01:31 - 32.248 and and really or that was held and also take

01:31 - 35.110 a look at are there any unmet needs after that

01:31 - 39.256 for additional counseling services those types of things that people may have seen

01:31 - 41.540 that and may have been affected by that.

01:31 - 44.300 Thank you thank you all for your service and thank Mr.

01:31 - 47.260 Sure thanks gentlemen

01:31 - 49.880 and recognizes representative maiko.

01:31 - 54.250 Thank you mr chairman and gentlemen for being here appreciate it thank you very much

01:31 - 57.460 shout out to national cancer prevention month

01:31 - 58.060 this

01:31 - 59.980 I think that's apropos for this hearing

01:32 - 01.460 and

01:32 - 05.440 but so director pat field I have a question for you you

01:32 - 07.591 about the federal response fund that the governor

01:32 - 11.120 talked about and I think you mentioned it in your.

01:32 - 13.010 Opening remarks

01:32 - 13.874 and

01:32 - 18.646 that was to respond and mitigate any action or inaction by the federal government

01:32 - 20.650 that results in the reduction of funding

01:32 - 25.060 to critical programs that impact health safety and welfare of Pennsylvania ones

01:32 - 27.670 and to support that so.

01:32 - 29.720 I guess my question.

01:32 - 33.140 When I heard the governor speak about this during his

01:32 - 34.030 address

01:32 - 38.750 what is this fund for have you had any conversations with the governor

01:32 - 41.000 to the purpose of this fund

01:32 - 42.280 and then I guess

01:32 - 44.276 follow up with that is that to back fill we know

01:32 - 46.810 we're not getting as much federal funds coming in

01:32 - 47.560 and

01:32 - 48.770 can you speak to answer

01:32 - 49.510 so I think that

01:32 - 52.294 the purpose of that fund obviously is to be able

01:32 - 55.360 to provide a bridge or to be able to fill in gaps

01:32 - 00.436 and there are a number of state agencies that rely on federal funding in federal

01:33 - 03.203 funding stream so a classic example way that

01:33 - 07.360 are aware that fund may be useful is with the snap benefit issue

01:33 - 11.398 and until that is established because of issues related to

01:33 - 12.530 federal shutdown

01:33 - 16.250 it may be kind of temporary to be able to fill that gap.

01:33 - 20.830 In our situation we rely on a lot of federal funding streams for projects

01:33 - 24.346 just in that building resilient infrastructure and communities program that was one

01:33 - 27.340 hundred and thirty three million dollars worth of projects that were cut

01:33 - 29.200 they will be reinstated.

01:33 - 34.090 So we're looking for word to that so that's really the premise behind that fund

01:33 - 38.440 there's a lot of uncertainty regarding federal funding streams right now

01:33 - 42.380 a lotta the federal funding streams are tied up in litigation

01:33 - 45.770 and there's some uncertainty so sometimes.

01:33 - 50.146 You know the Grant awards are significantly delayed we're not able to accept those

01:33 - 53.710 awards because the government the federal government is shut down like right now

01:33 - 56.055 we don't have the ability to be able to go into

01:33 - 58.450 federal Grant awards or Grant outcome system

01:33 - 01.190 to be able to accept awards.

01:34 - 05.200 We're dealing with our homeland security Grant program right now that we

01:34 - 09.976 we just recently accepted that award but normally that award would be accepted the

01:34 - 14.200 end of last year gotcha so there are significant delays in those delays

01:34 - 18.350 and gaps lead to real impacts across the programs

01:34 - 20.780 and across the municipality's

01:34 - 21.640 gotcha.

01:34 - 22.600 I

01:34 - 24.500 Appreciate that answer.

01:34 - 27.250 So then and then

01:34 - 30.308 that hundred million will be coming from the budget

01:34 - 33.860 stabilization reserve fund which we call the rainy day.

01:34 - 34.510 It's

01:34 - 36.878 supposed to be used for health safety and welfare

01:34 - 39.280 of the commonwealth the governor proposed this fund

01:34 - 40.240 and

01:34 - 44.950 so if we were to allocate this moving forward this year in this budget

01:34 - 50.360 what oversight would we have as the general assembly on this hundred million dollars.

01:34 - 52.383 I think that's a question probably for the the

01:34 - 55.330 budget secretary in the budget office to talk about

01:34 - 57.949 I know there's been discussion on what would

01:34 - 00.640 be the criteria to be able to access that fun

01:35 - 01.480 and.

01:35 - 01.812 I

01:35 - 05.830 Don't think that has been set in stone as of yet I think there's a yeah there's a

01:35 - 09.310 there's talk about that because obviously there's prioritization

01:35 - 12.281 of what would be needed to be able to access that

01:35 - 15.160 fun so we welcome an ongoing conversation obviously

01:35 - 17.710 with the members of the general assembly and also

01:35 - 21.526 with a budget office and the governor's office on what that looks like but I think

01:35 - 23.760 that is much needed in this type of situation

01:35 - 25.828 where there's a lot of uncertainty rigged adding

01:35 - 28.861 federal funding to know it I I agree with that and I

01:35 - 31.390 would just argue that we already have a lot of these

01:35 - 32.660 have.

01:35 - 36.670 Processes in place for the general assembly to allocate those funds

01:35 - 39.190 so I was curious if we gave this

01:35 - 42.400 hundred million if it would just be like an executive action kind of

01:35 - 45.010 or if we would have some kind of oversight and

01:35 - 48.220 I'll save that question for the budget secretary I appreciate that

01:35 - 48.940 last

01:35 - 52.485 last but not least I want to give a shout out to

01:35 - 55.240 the the surf team for the national guard surf team

01:35 - 59.596 I dunno how much you interact with them and what we can do to help boost them to

01:35 - 01.360 support our communities in the commonwealth

01:36 - 03.100 but I think

01:36 - 04.540 that they do a great job

01:36 - 08.920 and I dunno how familiar you are with them and how much you guys work with them but I

01:36 - 10.460 really like them

01:36 - 14.236 I'm very familiar with them the national guard is a great partner they provide a

01:36 - 16.460 great capability in the commonwealth

01:36 - 19.910 not just with that team but also with the cst

01:36 - 22.570 civil support team and they assist

01:36 - 26.500 assist jurisdictions in fact the civil support team as assists with the

01:36 - 27.160 path the

01:36 - 30.920 pathogen avian influenza outbreak with the department of agriculture

01:36 - 34.030 now I I couldn't think of a better team to work that and

01:36 - 35.360 as a guardsman

01:36 - 37.600 big fan of Pennsylvania national guard so

01:36 - 38.810 we are too

01:36 - 40.240 little bias but whatever

01:36 - 42.710 thank you for your service thank you.

01:36 - 48.410 Chair takes a gentleman and recognizes representative Stella.

01:36 - 56.050 Thank you mr chairman and thank you for being here today gentlemen

01:36 - 57.040 and

01:36 - 59.990 commissioner this is a question for you.

01:37 - 05.890 Amos providers in my area and many other areas of the commonwealth I'm sure

01:37 - 07.780 affecting a lot of members in this room.

01:37 - 12.520 Are reporting low low reimbursement rates and not being paid the full invoice amount

01:37 - 14.110 that is submitted to private commercial

01:37 - 20.090 insurance carriers and some unfortunately have even stopped services altogether

01:37 - 22.303 and I believe you mentioned it to a colleague of mine

01:37 - 24.527 from Lawrence county that you've done a lot of traveling

01:37 - 25.720 throughout the commonwealth

01:37 - 27.811 I'm sure I and others are not the only ones

01:37 - 30.190 hearing this so I assume you're hearing the same

01:37 - 33.160 the same issues that I'm hearing I just heard at last week

01:37 - 33.730 will

01:37 - 37.360 there is a first responders luncheon in Butler ambulance service in my area

01:37 - 39.370 was telling me that's their main problem

01:37 - 40.730 so

01:37 - 41.320 And

01:37 - 43.832 I will let you answer the question are you hearing

01:37 - 46.030 similar issues like this that I'm hearing another

01:37 - 48.070 of my colleagues are hearing as well.

01:37 - 50.390 Yes ma'am I I am.

01:37 - 53.471 Seeing you're hearing it a lot or just like here and there

01:37 - 54.820 does it depending on worry

01:37 - 59.500 everywhere I go that your mess people are present we have a discussion about it

01:38 - 01.070 like not whirl

01:38 - 03.250 this is not immune to anybody correct

01:38 - 05.200 this is a cross the calm yes

01:38 - 06.460 and

01:38 - 08.980 can you share with us here today

01:38 - 11.960 what you're doing to address this situation.

01:38 - 16.760 So we we support the gms community through the existing.

01:38 - 18.920 Annual Grant program.

01:38 - 20.630 The.

01:38 - 21.730 Dms community

01:38 - 24.250 averages almost fifteen grand

01:38 - 25.270 agency

01:38 - 27.010 in grants from the commission

01:38 - 28.702 when it submits grants let's talk about

01:38 - 31.060 reimbursements because that's really what my question

01:38 - 31.750 is

01:38 - 33.010 Focused on right now

01:38 - 35.270 what are you doing in coordination

01:38 - 37.407 with department of health to get these

01:38 - 39.940 reimbursement rates up to where they should be be

01:38 - 45.700 my my role in that process is strictly to pass information on

01:38 - 47.566 saying you're not advocating you're just saying

01:38 - 50.660 here's here's what I'm hearing here have at it.

01:38 - 57.700 No I I am encouraging we find a permanent solution to the problem additional Grant

01:38 - 00.850 money for e m s agencies is a band aid

01:39 - 03.770 to the problem the real problem is addressing

01:39 - 05.360 the the specific.

01:39 - 07.030 Issue that you've brought up

01:39 - 09.440 the billing reimbursement rates.

01:39 - 11.500 Direct aid to the provide are

01:39 - 13.940 those are all needed changes.

01:39 - 17.110 I have no direct administrative

01:39 - 20.230 or regulatory authority to affect that

01:39 - 23.380 do you think he should though I mean as our fire commissioner

01:39 - 25.090 you're hearing it from all over

01:39 - 28.210 you see the decline in numbers of vms units

01:39 - 29.900 closing down.

01:39 - 30.980 Not showing up

01:39 - 31.750 I mean

01:39 - 34.960 is is that all you are is just kind of pass through that

01:39 - 36.310 you know here again

01:39 - 39.200 you have to have ideas on how to fix this right

01:39 - 41.740 for n s d o h listening to your suggestions

01:39 - 43.330 and what are the suggestions

01:39 - 43.960 so

01:39 - 46.468 Again the suggestions are we need to find a solution

01:39 - 49.610 on the the billing reimbursement costs sure.

01:39 - 51.700 Specifics on those you know and

01:39 - 53.090 again I don't

01:39 - 58.190 I don't move in those circles in depth that I can speak to the mechanics

01:39 - 01.400 of the billing system in the reimbursement system.

01:40 - 05.920 I know I hear it as a pain point for me you may your master agencies across

01:40 - 07.400 the commonwealth

01:40 - 13.370 I have offered my support to director Martin in the department of health to support

01:40 - 16.280 legislative activity to two.

01:40 - 18.800 Change those laws.

01:40 - 22.210 Because when it comes down to brass tacks to make your

01:40 - 23.930 your point valid.

01:40 - 27.050 There are still approximately twenty percent of fire

01:40 - 30.010 departments that run ambulances out of the fire department

01:40 - 32.440 they're not a standalone dms agency

01:40 - 36.320 unfortunately titled thirty five gives me no authority

01:40 - 38.720 to weigh in officially

01:40 - 40.240 an e m s issue

01:40 - 43.700 so then there is legislation that we can put into

01:40 - 44.870 have you you

01:40 - 46.540 to allow you more of

01:40 - 47.920 a voice

01:40 - 48.610 in this

01:40 - 50.560 problem and in the solution

01:40 - 52.150 that we're focused on right now

01:40 - 54.880 so I'd like to talk to you afterwards had to

01:40 - 56.210 include that

01:40 - 58.910 I mean I don't think you should just be.

01:40 - 01.300 I don't want to say part of the problem but

01:41 - 03.070 just passing on the information

01:41 - 05.733 you're talking to these ladies and gentlemen every

01:41 - 08.680 day throughout your travels don't you want more say

01:41 - 09.490 and more

01:41 - 10.780 of an advocate

01:41 - 13.370 advocate for them yes ma'am.

01:41 - 15.760 Very willing to sit down and have that conversation

01:41 - 18.700 okay get to you have some ideas on what can be changed

01:41 - 23.320 in those titles to give you more of a voice to give you at least a lot more power

01:41 - 25.880 than what you have now instead of just being a pass-through

01:41 - 26.530 yes ma'am

01:41 - 30.436 original congressman wonderful then I do look forward to those conversations so we

01:41 - 32.840 can move forward with this thank you so much.

01:41 - 35.710 Sure thanks to the generosity

01:41 - 38.540 and recognizes chairman gillon.

01:41 - 41.090 Thank you mr chairman.

01:41 - 43.790 Gentlemen appreciate your testimony.

01:41 - 45.970 I thank you for your service in

01:41 - 47.920 the service of those you represent

01:41 - 50.450 during especially difficult times.

01:41 - 54.400 I've read about frozen fire hoses fire police

01:41 - 55.580 out there

01:41 - 56.800 at all hours

01:41 - 59.690 lengthy tours of duty so.

01:42 - 02.881 We as legislators are certainly grateful for your

01:42 - 05.590 service and the service of those that work under you

01:42 - 07.070 in the commonwealth.

01:42 - 09.670 Thank you that we're sending assets

01:42 - 11.508 out to Rhode island who had

01:42 - 14.050 tremendous snowfall out there I think it's been

01:42 - 15.610 mentioned we've got a number

01:42 - 16.390 penn dot

01:42 - 17.780 of vehicles

01:42 - 21.650 and assets to moose no and so I think it's important.

01:42 - 24.010 That we share as we have in the past

01:42 - 26.810 and our assets with other states.

01:42 - 30.260 Comment was made regarding data centers

01:42 - 33.470 and I talked to a volunteer firefighter recently

01:42 - 33.970 kind of

01:42 - 38.360 shrugged his shoulders like in terms of best practices and training

01:42 - 39.190 and

01:42 - 40.640 the challenges

01:42 - 42.880 of fighting data center fire we had

01:42 - 44.380 I know one in Virginia

01:42 - 48.700 it's not a common event and I don't want to overstay state the risk

01:42 - 52.700 but when there is a fire with lithium ion we know.

01:42 - 57.580 For motor vehicle situations that the approaches has to be different and

01:42 - 01.280 have we really caught up in our training regimen

01:43 - 07.010 and our state standards and national models with regards to data center fires.

01:43 - 12.910 The answer is we're working to get there but no as of today we are

01:43 - 14.090 behind.

01:43 - 21.010 One of the objectives for the state fire academy is to release a lithium ion battery

01:43 - 22.210 trading program

01:43 - 25.670 within the twenty six calendar year.

01:43 - 27.400 Okay.

01:43 - 28.018 I

01:43 - 29.150 Appreciate that so so

01:43 - 31.462 it's a work in progress I realize it's not a gotcha

01:43 - 34.580 question it's a new thing and we're here to work together

01:43 - 38.630 however we can augment that effort it influences everyone.

01:43 - 41.000 Certainly in the commonwealth.

01:43 - 42.430 Regarding the

01:43 - 45.400 thirty million dollar proposal supplemental

01:43 - 46.550 Grant program

01:43 - 49.240 under the existing Grant program of the

01:43 - 51.740 twenty four hundred approximately.

01:43 - 54.545 Firefighting entities in the commonwealth what

01:43 - 57.650 percent are utilizing the existing program.

01:43 - 00.127 I don't

01:44 - 02.950 know that we've ever looked at it in terms of a percent

01:44 - 05.230 and so on the fireside.

01:44 - 08.260 Our official best estimate in terms of

01:44 - 11.920 the number of agencies is two thousand forty seven

01:44 - 14.570 fire companies in Pennsylvania

01:44 - 17.090 and currently.

01:44 - 21.070 Two thousand and seven

01:44 - 24.350 are taking advantage of the great Grant program

01:44 - 27.730 and I'm certainly very supportive of the proposal and

01:44 - 32.450 like an echo and amen some of the comments that have been made prior on.

01:44 - 35.290 May making sure e m s n is

01:44 - 38.230 I realize department of health is coming in and so so

01:44 - 40.120 we'll have a larger discussion

01:44 - 40.930 with them

01:44 - 42.700 and the six million for

01:44 - 46.606 urban search and rescue there's a certain disadvantage when you go last you just have

01:44 - 48.100 to keep saying amen to things that

01:44 - 51.860 have already been said and the property tax relief.

01:44 - 53.620 As a funding source is

01:44 - 54.370 also

01:44 - 56.620 certainly a source

01:44 - 58.340 of concern.

01:44 - 01.000 If you were to divide up

01:45 - 05.170 the thirty million amongst the over two thousand departments

01:45 - 07.240 I think it works out to

01:45 - 10.610 around twelve thousand and some odd dollars.

01:45 - 15.800 I recently got a phone call from assistant chief of the volunteer fire department

01:45 - 18.400 brought me in and say we gotta replace this piece of equip

01:45 - 21.676 which was aging and I don't have to state the numbers

01:45 - 25.129 that were being discussed relative to the replacing.

01:45 - 25.780 This

01:45 - 29.920 piece of equipment but I would suggest and to my colleagues

01:45 - 31.340 to the governor.

01:45 - 34.550 That we're going to have to be very robust

01:45 - 36.740 in terms of our approach.

01:45 - 38.770 Because we're behind and

01:45 - 41.470 and we're really far behind where we need to be

01:45 - 45.250 and that's a shared responsibility is not a gotcha

01:45 - 47.170 we're going to have to do more

01:45 - 49.855 and I have bought every available flower

01:45 - 52.600 from the local fire department at easter time

01:45 - 54.040 I have brought hoagies.

01:45 - 54.351 I

01:45 - 58.240 My wife is complaining there's no room in the refrigerator for things that are buying.

01:45 - 59.750 I.

01:45 - 03.550 Mean we all want to support those breakfast is all this going on

01:46 - 06.260 but part of recruitment.

01:46 - 10.510 Has to be a consideration for what we're asking people to do

01:46 - 12.580 alright you will be the cook

01:46 - 14.560 alright you're going to be the gardener

01:46 - 16.060 you're going to be funding

01:46 - 17.800 are involved

01:46 - 22.240 in fund raiser in this particular area and so we're asking them to do a lot

01:46 - 27.220 and if we had reoccurring funding sources we look at the gaming revenue for example

01:46 - 31.330 we're going to have to plug into some of these assets on a long-term basis

01:46 - 34.570 and I know this is more of a filibuster this question

01:46 - 35.470 because

01:46 - 36.460 thirty million

01:46 - 39.130 and I appreciate what the governor is offering out there the

01:46 - 41.410 thirty million is not going to do it

01:46 - 42.220 alright

01:46 - 44.740 we're really far behind

01:46 - 47.132 and when you're talking purchasing assets of

01:46 - 49.390 one million one point five million dollars

01:46 - 51.130 twelve thousand dollars

01:46 - 54.040 certainly is a thank you but it's tip money

01:46 - 56.600 and it does not get us there.

01:46 - 58.130 Regarding

01:46 - 59.890 the fireworks tax

01:47 - 03.020 how efficacious has that been.

01:47 - 05.830 In terms of delegation of those assets

01:47 - 08.540 are we comfortable with how they're being utilized.

01:47 - 09.490 So

01:47 - 11.230 The fireworks tax

01:47 - 12.350 funds

01:47 - 12.940 of

01:47 - 14.960 Oath the municipal

01:47 - 17.080 art department capital Grant program

01:47 - 20.840 it funds the training center capital Grant program.

01:47 - 23.030 The.

01:47 - 25.150 Arm squad reimbursement program

01:47 - 26.830 or fireworks safety

01:47 - 28.480 advertising campaign

01:47 - 33.260 and it provides additional funding into the annual Grant program.

01:47 - 35.170 For the gms grants

01:47 - 36.130 so

01:47 - 39.785 In in my opinion the tax revenue is very beneficial

01:47 - 43.340 to our ability to put money into the field

01:47 - 48.940 but I also have to wear the other hat of the fire safety guy that fireworks are bad

01:47 - 49.480 right

01:47 - 52.600 and so I gotta I gotta walk that razor's

01:47 - 53.870 edge.

01:47 - 58.040 Keep up the admirable work team appreciated thank you mr chairman.

01:47 - 01.720 Sure thanks a gentleman before we get to the

01:48 - 03.670 actual appropriations chairs.

01:48 - 04.180 I

01:48 - 05.740 Wanted to just slip in with a

01:48 - 06.580 comment and a

01:48 - 07.820 brief question

01:48 - 08.320 and.

01:48 - 09.190 It

01:48 - 11.620 It occurs to me when I think about the

01:48 - 14.990 volunteer firefighters across the state.

01:48 - 16.670 M s.

01:48 - 17.960 Members

01:48 - 20.510 full-time fire fighters police officers

01:48 - 21.580 you

01:48 - 22.210 and

01:48 - 23.350 you sitting here

01:48 - 24.530 when your teams

01:48 - 27.730 you are in the business of expecting the unexpected

01:48 - 29.780 and planning for the unexpected

01:48 - 30.250 and

01:48 - 31.960 so I think that's the

01:48 - 35.900 epitome of public service so I thank you and.

01:48 - 36.950 Everyone out there who

01:48 - 38.510 runs toward

01:48 - 40.450 the annex back that runs towards that danger

01:48 - 41.980 so thank you all for what you do.

01:48 - 43.640 Now.

01:48 - 47.080 What we are expecting is a pretty big year in Pennsylvania

01:48 - 48.760 of the FIFA world cup

01:48 - 50.420 america two fifty.

01:48 - 52.350 Major league baseball's all star

01:48 - 55.940 game and the NFL draft so.

01:48 - 57.340 It's big year for Pennsylvania

01:48 - 58.000 and

01:48 - 58.990 the

01:48 - 00.440 preparations.

01:49 - 03.130 That pima another agencies will be

01:49 - 04.300 will be doing are

01:49 - 06.580 very key and critical to these events

01:49 - 08.380 would you mind just detailing

01:49 - 11.770 in brief what those preparations are r and

01:49 - 13.280 how can we.

01:49 - 15.730 Understand all of these events to be

01:49 - 18.020 safe and sound for.

01:49 - 20.900 Sure and that that is obviously our hope and

01:49 - 22.070 you know as the

01:49 - 25.780 the director people say or ask me what keeps me up at night

01:49 - 28.224 all of two thousand and twenty six keeps me up at night

01:49 - 30.730 at this point in time so at least the vast majority of it.

01:49 - 34.240 I think it's a tremendous opportunity obviously for the commonwealth

01:49 - 37.060 we just want to make sure that we're well prepared so

01:49 - 42.040 we've been engaged whether it's with Pittsburgh in the NFL draft from

01:49 - 46.130 the beginning of the planning meetings associated with that to.

01:49 - 51.496 The FIFA and the world cup events in Philadelphia into the america to fifty cellar

01:49 - 53.440 abrasions that are occurring across the state

01:49 - 54.100 for

01:49 - 58.156 especially when it comes to FIFA for a number of years right now so I think that

01:49 - 00.770 planning started in twenty twenty three.

01:50 - 03.476 So Philadelphia has a number of committees

01:50 - 08.416 we sit in on those committees we also have and are in the process of developing a

01:50 - 11.210 statewide consequence management plan.

01:50 - 15.430 Where framework that is designed to be able to take a look at all of these events

01:50 - 20.176 and really there's a difference between what has to be provided for event support so

01:50 - 21.889 there are a lot of state agencies that are

01:50 - 24.070 providing events support to some of these events

01:50 - 28.066 but there's also what we need for consequence management if anything would happen and

01:50 - 29.830 we would have an incident within the event

01:50 - 33.430 so we're working on finally using those plans right now

01:50 - 35.530 taking a look at what the resource support

01:50 - 36.740 needs to be

01:50 - 40.030 and also making sure that our plans are flexible moving ahead

01:50 - 42.459 there are two pieces that are really critical they're

01:50 - 45.400 federal grants one of them is a counter you as Grant

01:50 - 50.326 and we receive that Grant award we're working with three applicants associated with

01:50 - 54.586 that and that is for specific likely the FIFA events and the america two fifty

01:50 - 59.410 celebration any national america to fifty celebration so that provides funding to

01:50 - 04.726 local law enforcement to be able to have counter you as capability also detect track

01:51 - 08.410 and identify capability which is going to be crucial to be able to keep these

01:51 - 09.910 event venue safe

01:51 - 12.512 there's also a FIFA Grant away word that is

01:51 - 15.220 going to go to Philly soccer twenty twenty six

01:51 - 18.728 where we have not received that award yet but that

01:51 - 21.670 is going to be able to support safety and security

01:51 - 25.900 so we continue to be able to work with all of those the one thing that I would point

01:51 - 29.080 out and this goes back to a conversation a little earlier

01:51 - 30.470 is that

01:51 - 32.320 what changes a title thirty five

01:51 - 35.766 we take a look at events like this having changes that would

01:51 - 38.916 potentially allow a state of preparedness

01:51 - 42.196 which would not require a disaster proclamation

01:51 - 46.122 these types of situations we would have the ability to be able to preposition

01:51 - 49.026 resources and we'd have some funding available for that

01:51 - 52.882 so I think that's something we would like to look at entitled thirty five going for

01:51 - 57.042 word for these types of events but also for the myriad weather events that we see

01:51 - 59.196 where we're not sure how bad it's going to be

01:51 - 03.486 or we really don't need a state proclamation a disaster emergency but we

01:52 - 08.436 would benefit from a state of preparedness where we could preposition assets to make

01:52 - 11.716 sure that we shorten our reaction time for anything.

01:52 - 14.196 Thank you

01:52 - 17.466 so much and I appreciate you touching on the title thirty five

01:52 - 18.856 updates.

01:52 - 22.096 Chair recognizes chairman screwy.

01:52 - 24.616 Thank you chairman.

01:52 - 26.712 Gentlemen I think we've covered

01:52 - 28.506 a lot of good topics today obviously

01:52 - 31.036 critical topics for our communities

01:52 - 34.956 I do want to go back to the urban search and rescue discussion that we had

01:52 - 37.432 and we check the system and as you had said you

01:52 - 40.026 know six million dollars was allocated in the twenty

01:52 - 41.586 four twenty five budget

01:52 - 44.226 six million again in the current year budget

01:52 - 47.886 but when we looked into the system not a penny has been spent of that

01:52 - 51.096 and as my my colleague from west more land county

01:52 - 53.346 representative Nelson said the the folks

01:52 - 54.366 who are

01:52 - 56.076 part of this team in

01:52 - 57.496 western Pennsylvania

01:52 - 59.916 are very concerned that they haven't seen this money

01:53 - 03.766 do you know why none of this has been spent.

01:53 - 06.329 So we have the grass agreement for the first

01:53 - 08.916 six million dollars that was forwarded us to

01:53 - 12.186 to us not too long ago within the last week or so

01:53 - 14.326 and the

01:53 - 17.106 to take it back to the process so

01:53 - 21.336 there's two agreements there's a sponsoring agency agreement that needs to be signed

01:53 - 25.732 we receive notification in January about mid January twenty twenty five five

01:53 - 29.506 Pittsburgh was going to be the sponsoring agency for the team.

01:53 - 33.420 We provided them in may with the Grant agreement and also

01:53 - 37.216 the sponsoring agency agreement the city had to take.

01:53 - 41.802 Action on that which we believe occurred in July of two thousand and twenty five we

01:53 - 44.676 receive the sponsoring agency agreement back

01:53 - 48.826 from the city Pittsburgh that was signed in November

01:53 - 53.316 and then we most recently received a Grant agreement that came back so we're

01:53 - 57.001 positioned right now to be able to provide them the first six million dollars and

01:53 - 00.126 then we will be working with a Grant agreement from last year's budget

01:54 - 01.686 be providing the

01:54 - 03.216 additional six million dollars

01:54 - 04.806 okay I appreciate that

01:54 - 08.682 if you could just keep us updated so that we can communicate with with our our

01:54 - 11.146 constituents in western Pennsylvania because clearly they have

01:54 - 12.616 some concerns

01:54 - 15.516 and we want to be able to provide those answers to them.

01:54 - 17.406 I want to talk a little bit about

01:54 - 21.196 the title thirty five updates specifically to hms.

01:54 - 26.892 If you'll indulge me just a moment and my twenty two year old daughter is now working

01:54 - 28.836 as an e m t for citizens ambulance

01:54 - 30.306 in Indiana county

01:54 - 32.419 and while I share that because I am very proud of

01:54 - 34.536 her for doing that she's also a pre-med student

01:54 - 39.876 it highlights to me just how important the work that rtms providers do is

01:54 - 43.116 she tells me about all the calls a day go on

01:54 - 44.016 you know and

01:54 - 47.330 it's a vital community service and off in time

01:54 - 50.226 she's going into very rural areas of the county

01:54 - 51.290 and

01:54 - 51.816 yet

01:54 - 54.843 you know we hear about all these challenges with vms

01:54 - 57.486 about the funding the insurance reimbursements and.

01:54 - 59.328 I'm pretty sure we've been talking about these

01:54 - 03.366 insurance reimbursements for a long time do you feel

01:55 - 05.136 and I'm happy to hear that this

01:55 - 08.286 process is underway way to update title thirty five

01:55 - 14.086 do you feel that this update will address those concerns of rtms providers.

01:55 - 19.686 So.

01:55 - 20.076 I

01:55 - 20.886 Think that's

01:55 - 22.446 question is best directed

01:55 - 25.036 the department of health but.

01:55 - 28.006 I would also argue that it won't hurt.

01:55 - 30.366 I think it's a step in the right direction

01:55 - 33.586 but we need more concrete legislative.

01:55 - 35.046 Action

01:55 - 37.566 to square away the billing process

01:55 - 38.226 and.

01:55 - 40.036 Take away.

01:55 - 44.262 You know again we all know the problems right the reimbursement rates aren't where

01:55 - 48.046 they should be for the cert the cost of the service provided.

01:55 - 51.076 You have the fact that insurance companies

01:55 - 55.293 won't release payment directly to the service provider asked asked

01:55 - 56.556 the patients and

01:55 - 00.976 in a significant portion of that money never reaches the service provider.

01:56 - 06.036 So there's there's a lot of serious issues that have to be solved but the

01:56 - 06.546 the

01:56 - 09.966 best solution for rtms community

01:56 - 13.176 is a permanent solution not a temporary Grant so

01:56 - 17.286 I I totally agree have you spoken with the the Pennsylvania insurance

01:56 - 19.576 department about any of this.

01:56 - 22.926 I have not but I have had these conversations with

01:56 - 23.346 the

01:56 - 24.466 dms director

01:56 - 25.626 in the department of health

01:56 - 26.776 I think it would be

01:56 - 29.833 important to have them as part of the discussion looking

01:56 - 32.406 at this title thirty five update because I think this is

01:56 - 36.192 really an opportunity to address a lot of these concerns you said it hasn't been

01:56 - 38.446 updated since nineteen ninety nine.

01:56 - 42.351 Six so yeah it's been a long time and clearly

01:56 - 44.736 these issues have been around for a long time

01:56 - 49.782 and so I I think that we need to take advantage of this opportunity so whatever we

01:56 - 52.319 need to do legislatively or whatever you need from us

01:56 - 55.266 I hope that all the right people are part of this team

01:56 - 58.446 that's working on these updates because I I

01:56 - 00.156 can't wait another thirty years

01:57 - 02.244 for another update we need to make sure that

01:57 - 04.536 the right updates and changes are made now

01:57 - 07.139 because as I said that the services that m s

01:57 - 10.546 provides are volunteer fire companies provide.

01:57 - 13.506 In in all of our communities rural urban

01:57 - 15.306 suburban wherever they may be

01:57 - 17.425 are I think the core functions of what we do

01:57 - 19.896 as a government to keep our community be safe

01:57 - 22.347 and when you pick up the phone to call for an

01:57 - 24.756 ambulance someone answers and is going to be there.

01:57 - 25.896 So

01:57 - 28.753 Gentlemen I appreciate you being here I appreciate

01:57 - 31.776 everything that our volunteer fire companies do are paid

01:57 - 35.856 fire companies r e m s and all of our first responders in this commonwealth

01:57 - 37.586 we appreciate everything that you do

01:57 - 39.286 thank you.

01:57 - 42.016 Thank the gentlemen.

01:57 - 43.276 First.

01:57 - 44.896 I wanted to.

01:57 - 45.876 Also

01:57 - 47.746 extend my.

01:57 - 50.316 Thanks to pima

01:57 - 52.696 and the work that you do.

01:57 - 54.046 You know Philadelphia

01:57 - 55.876 we have our own fire department and all that

01:57 - 56.956 kind of stuff but

01:57 - 58.206 I remember

01:57 - 00.096 when a plane went down

01:58 - 00.818 in

01:58 - 02.596 Northeast Philadelphia.

01:58 - 06.356 I think that was Larry maybe last year the year before

01:58 - 07.326 and

01:58 - 11.296 I remember being on the phone with folks from pima.

01:58 - 14.346 Your your amazing ledge director over here

01:58 - 15.336 and

01:58 - 16.026 you know

01:58 - 18.306 who just happens to be a member of phi beta sigma

01:58 - 21.546 fraternity incorporated the greatest fraternity known to man.

01:58 - 25.056 I just want to put that out there but no bid on the phone with him

01:58 - 26.916 we had a new mayor and

01:58 - 31.056 new administration and new things and we were coordinating to make sure

01:58 - 33.636 that the city of Philadelphia in this crisis

01:58 - 36.336 was getting every support that we could from the state

01:58 - 38.356 as I just wanted to publicly

01:58 - 39.876 put on a record that we're grateful

01:58 - 44.256 for all that you do at pima and all of the work that you do every single day

01:58 - 46.386 to keep the people of Pennsylvania safe

01:58 - 48.796 it does not go unnoticed

01:58 - 50.526 and so thank you

01:58 - 52.486 publicly for that.

01:58 - 54.376 I do want to just clarify.

01:58 - 58.066 For my friends in the west I just want to make sure.

01:58 - 03.202 That we're when we leave this here that we have all the information on record.

01:59 - 04.896 So is your testimony that

01:59 - 06.756 there is no cut

01:59 - 09.106 to the twelve million dollars.

01:59 - 14.976 For the project out in western pa is that correct correct there there'll be two

01:59 - 18.546 fiscal years six million dollars each that will be going

01:59 - 20.406 right so that so even though

01:59 - 23.496 the money doesn't appear in this year's budget it's because the six

01:59 - 24.646 million twice

01:59 - 25.756 was in previous

01:59 - 26.956 correct is correct

01:59 - 30.036 so are folks in western pa will be made whole with the six

01:59 - 31.626 that with a twelve million dollars

01:59 - 33.906 and to see a million albatross is decorate

01:59 - 36.676 that is correct okay I just want to make sure.

01:59 - 39.646 Because it is extremely important.

01:59 - 41.686 That you know.

01:59 - 42.976 Our friends

01:59 - 44.556 on the western side of the state.

01:59 - 46.756 I have all of the emergency.

01:59 - 50.686 Tools at their disposal as well I remember

01:59 - 53.086 a few years ago I was out

01:59 - 56.526 with then mayor ed gainey and other members when the.

01:59 - 58.356 Don't number the name of it

01:59 - 01.096 my Pittsburgh friends do that the bridge collapsed

02:00 - 02.796 and we were out there

02:00 - 05.506 I'll be honest with you I could not.

02:00 - 09.126 I couldn't even imagine what I was actually seeing

02:00 - 11.106 right there in front of me

02:00 - 14.487 with that bridge collapsing and then to hear some of

02:00 - 16.926 the response times at some of the things that have

02:00 - 18.286 that happen in

02:00 - 21.726 other parts of the commonwealth and it.

02:00 - 22.641 It

02:00 - 24.816 Is important for me as well

02:00 - 26.626 as a Philadelphia.

02:00 - 29.166 That our friends in the west have all of the tools

02:00 - 34.426 at their disposal to be able to answer the call when tragedy.

02:00 - 35.436 Happens

02:00 - 36.036 like

02:00 - 38.776 that bridge collapse or any of the other things that we see

02:00 - 42.252 across as commerce I just wanted to put that on the record and make sure we're clear

02:00 - 44.946 that those resources are available and will

02:00 - 47.506 happen to our friends in the west then participate

02:00 - 48.786 and what that

02:00 - 49.936 and

02:00 - 50.736 I will thank

02:00 - 52.896 pima I will take our fire commissioner

02:00 - 54.936 for being here today and

02:00 - 56.406 of being a part of this

02:00 - 57.246 and

02:00 - 58.936 a budget hearing

02:00 - 01.566 and thank you again for all of the work

02:01 - 04.696 that you do every day for the people of the commonwealth

02:01 - 05.496 and

02:01 - 06.696 we will all

02:01 - 07.816 reconvene

02:01 - 12.736 with the appropriations committee at one thirty.

02:01 - 14.356 This afternoon.

02:01 - 16.996 We will have the department of corrections

02:01 - 18.486 and the board of

02:01 - 20.196 probation and parole

02:01 - 21.426 before us

02:01 - 22.546 here.

02:01 - 23.806 At one thirty

02:01 - 25.096 and.

02:01 - 28.206 Until then though I will recess this committee meeting

02:01 - 30.636 until one thirty this afternoon

02:01 - 32.266 thank you.