There’s a renewed push for legislation aimed at attracting more volunteer firefighters and emergency workers.
The bill creates a 500 dollar income tax credit for those volunteering as firefighters or EMTs in their community. It’s sponsored by Senator Christopher Belt of East Saint Louis.
Belt says, “The goal of this incentive is to address the recruitment and retention issues facing these workforces in addition to thanking and honoring them for their invaluable service to our state.”
State Representative Tom Bennett of Pontiac says smaller communities really rely on these volunteers and that there is currently a shortage of those willing to sign up.
Bennett says, “Many of our towns cannot afford the expense of full-time firefighters and we rely on our volunteers to respond to emergencies 24/7. Now we’re facing a major crisis as it’s becoming more difficult to staff fire departments in rural areas. At times, it requires trucks and firefighters from multiple departments to have enough people to fight the fire.”
The bill is currently pending in the house.
