ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Volunteer firefighters in Lehigh County will now be saving up to $150 on their property taxes, thanks to a motion passed by county commissioners Wednesday night.
The benefit will also multiply, depending on how many volunteer firefighters live in a home. (If two volunteer firefighters own a home together, they will save $300 on taxes.)
- Volunteer firefighters in Lehigh County will now be eligible for a property tax credit, up to $150
- The credit multiplies, depending on how many volunteer firefighters live in the home
- County commissioners are happy about the measure, but warn of a 'looming crisis' for volunteers.
In order to quality, volunteer department chiefs must submit a notarized document to the county, listing their eligible members, every year by Dec. 15.
"It's just a small way for us to say 'thank you' for all that they do and all they sacrifice to make sure that the entire community is safe."Antonio Pineda, Lehigh County commissioner
The ordinance document also says administrators will be on the look-out for forged documents.
The tax credit will go into effect in 10 days.
Unanimous support
County Commissioner Antonio Pineda was first to comment on the bill, and shared his gratitude on it being passed.
"I just wanted to say I think it's great to see that we have a full board sponsor for this," he said. "It's very important that we do this, that we recognize the importance and how vital our volunteers are to keeping our community safe.
"And it's just a small way for us to say 'thank you' for all that they do and all they sacrifice to make sure that the entire community is safe," Pineda added.
bill 2023-17 by LVNewsdotcom on Scribd
The vote came several months after two New Tripoli volunteer firefighters perished in a house fire in Schuylkill County.
Commissioner Ron Ebich, a former volunteer firefighter himself, was wearing his fleece jacket with his former fire company's emblem on it.
"I am so excited about being able to vote for this," Ebich said. "This is a very important move in terms of letting our volunteers know that they're appreciated."
He clarified that he is no longer an active volunteer, so said there is no conflict of interest for him to vote on the bill.
'Crisis looming'
Despite the excitement over the tax benefit, commissioners warned that there are not enough volunteer firefighters in the county, and the number seems to be shrinking still.
"They [volunteer firefighters] are the ones who go to the scene of a tragedy or an emergency in our community," Commissioner Geoff Brace said. "And I think we all recognize that there's a crisis looming with regard to volunteer service in our community."
Pennsylvania has an estimated 30,000 volunteers in the fire service, according to a 2022 article from The Sentinel of Carlisle. In 1975, that number was 360,000, according to The National Volunteer Fire Council and the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the newspaper reported.
Brace ended the comments with a warning.
"There's going to be no response when citizens call 911," he said. "And I don't think it's going to be long before this board and the administration are going to have that conversation."
