A bill aimed at helping emergency first responders eliminate student debt by encouraging their commitment to volunteer departments lands before state legislators for a vote next month.

If passed, the measure will forgive up to $16,000 in student loans for college graduates who serve at least four years with either a volunteer fire company, volunteer rescue company or an emergency medical services agency.

“It sounds like a win-win for volunteer fire companies,” said Marci Mustello, R-11th, of Butler. “We have to do everything we can to retain the volunteer firefighters we can.”

House Bill 1786, introduced by Rep. Chris Sainato, D-9th, of neighboring Lawrence County, will create the First Responder Loan Forgiveness Program. An amended version of the bill now heads to House of Representatives. Introduced Aug. 30, the bill was approved last week by unanimous vote from the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Mustello spoke passionately about how much volunteer firefighters mean to her family as someone who nearly lost her home in a 2012 blaze. She credits the multiple departments that arrived at her doorstep with saving her home, and said she plans to sign on to support the bill as soon as she returns to Harrisburg.

In an August memo sent to his fellow House members, Sainato stressed the need for not only finding ways to retain existing first responders, but also recruiting new volunteers.

“When an emergency occurs, we expect our first responders to answer the call,” Sainato wrote. “Unfortunately, our safety and health are jeopardized by the declining number of volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders.”

In fact, a Fire & EMS Commission Report released last year found that the number of firefighters statewide dropped from about 300,000 in the 1970s to as low as 30,000 today. Sainato stressed how the lack of young recruits means a continuing decline in overall numbers from year to year.

He considers the bill an innovative and effective way to recruit new members.

As it's written, the bill applies to first responders who have completed a postsecondary degree or certification program. At least one local fire chief encourages legislators to consider expanding the bill to help existing firefighters who may want to return to school.

“I think it's a good initiative. There's potential,” said Nathan Wulff, chief of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company. “I think they're skipping a step. Forgiveness would be a great second step after offering scholarships.”

Wulff urged lawmakers to consider including scholarships for existing volunteer firefighters who want to further their education but face financial hardships that might make it difficult to secure a loan. He hopes to learn more about the bill — including a more in-depth look at proposed eligibility requirements.

Those requirements include the number of emergency calls a person responds to, the level of their training or participation in drills, and even their involvement in department fundraising projects.

“This is going to increase recruitment and retention for volunteers in emergency services,” said Rob McLafferty, chief of the Herman Volunteer Fire Company. “These are folks who are volunteering and saving the commonwealth billions of dollars a year.”

McLafferty, like so many other chiefs across the state, pointed out that volunteer departments are at a crisis point.

He considers the bill an investment in the future of not only fire and EMS departments, but also in the locales they serve by encouraging young people to consider volunteering in their communities.