Helping to Lead Effort to Support Volunteer Firefighters and EMS Personnel

Press Release

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is helping lead the push on a bipartisan bill to provide a tax exemption on the benefits volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel receive from their communities. The legislation, the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act of 2015 (VRIPA), was just introduced in the U.S. House. A similar bill was signed into law in 2007, but the exemption expired in 2010. Currently, volunteers must pay federal income tax on the modest incentives they receive.

"A lot of volunteer fire departments offer minor financial and non-monetary incentives to bolster recruitment and retention," Pingree said. "Things like free uniforms, awards ceremonies, reduced property taxes, and other incentives cost very little, but mean so much to our volunteer first responders. It's not right to ask these volunteers to pay federal taxes on these modest benefits."

In the last five years, the number of volunteer firefighters in the United States has declined by approximately 41,000 while those over the age of 50 has steadily increased. At the same time, certification and training requirements make volunteer emergency response a time-consuming and often personally expensive endeavor.

The services donated by volunteer first responders are estimated to be worth approximately $140 billion annually. Without these services, many communities would be unable to provide firefighting and emergency medical services.

Pingree is an original co-sponsor of the bill.

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