Malvern Area Gets $307K In Volunteer Firefighter Funding

MALVERN, PA — $60 million in funding to support volunteer firefighters across Pennsylvania has been awarded to numerous municipalities, and the Malvern area got a cut of the funds.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale recently announced he released nearly $60 million in aid to support volunteer firefighters across Pennsylvania – a nearly $5 million increase over last year.

In 2019, Malvern, East Whiteland, Charlestown, and Willistown got sizable chunks of the funding.

The Malvern Borough was awarded $25,515.94; East Whiteland $93,302.51; Charlestown $60,437.71; and Willistown $128,575.58.

Chester County municipalities in total were awarded $3.95 million.

“State aid provided to volunteer firefighters’ relief associations helps dedicated first responders save lives and protect our communities,” DePasquale said during a visit to the Steelton Fire Department in Dauphin County. “The state funding I am announcing today will help provide life-saving equipment, critical training and insurance for tens of thousands of volunteer firefighters all across the state.”

Under DePasquale’s 2019 state aid distribution, 2,518 municipalities received $59.99 million for distribution to volunteer firefighters’ relief associations (VFRAs). The funding comes from a 2 percent state tax on fire insurance premiums purchased by Pennsylvania residents from out-of-state insurance companies.

“For the first time since I took office, VFRA funding has increased over the previous year,” DePasquale said. “The additional funding is good news to volunteer firefighters who have had to weather some hits in state aid over the past few years.”

DePasquale repeated his call for the General Assembly to consider giving VFRAs greater flexibility to use the state aid they receive in ways that meet specific local needs. Current state law tightly restricts how the money may be spent.

“I want to make sure that the law governing the use of state aid is keeping up with changes in how fire services are provided,” he said.

Act 118 of 2010 governs the overall operation of volunteer firefighter relief associations, which are legally separate from the fire departments they support. State aid provided under the law is intended to solely benefit volunteer firefighters. The list of eligible expenses is found online here.

In addition to distributing the funding to VFRAs, the Department of the Auditor General also audits those organizations to ensure state aid is spent appropriately. The state aid was distributed to municipalities on Sept. 16 and must be transferred to VFRAs within 60 days of receipt.