Act 17 of 2003, § 303: Award of grants

Section 303. Award of grants.

(a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make a grant award to each eligible volunteer fire company for the following:

(1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's

facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings

necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the

company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.

(2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue

equipment or purchase thereof.

(3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).

(4) Training and certification of members.

(b) Limits.--

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be

not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per volunteer

fire company.

(2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the

total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the

amount of funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this

purpose.

(3) In a municipality where there are two or more

volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies

consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and

services within five years preceding the date of the current

year application submission deadline, the consolidated entity

shall be deemed eligible to receive a grant not to exceed the

amount of the combined total for which the individual

companies would have been eligible had they not consolidated.

(1) Within 30 days of the effective date of this

paragraph for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2006, and

July 1, 2007, and by September 1 of each year thereafter, the

agency shall provide written instructions for grants under

this act to the fire chief and president of every volunteer

fire company in this Commonwealth.

(2) Within 45 days of the effective date of this

paragraph for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2006, and

July 1, 2007, and by September 8 of each year thereafter, the

agency shall provide applications to the fire chief and

president of every volunteer fire company. The application

for the fiscal years commencing July 1, 2006, and July 1,

2007, shall be a combined application. Volunteer fire

companies seeking grants under this act shall submit

completed applications to the agency. The application period

shall remain open for 45 days each year. The agency shall act

to approve or disapprove applications within 60 days of the

application submission deadline each year. Applications which

have not been approved or disapproved by the agency within 60

days after the close of the application period each year

shall be deemed approved.

(d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or more fire or rescue emergencies during the previous calendar year and must have signed and be under an agreement to actively participate in the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System which is administered by the agency.

(303 amended June 28, 2007, P.L.36, No.10)