[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6316108,"mediaKeyId","2377735-8b5beb606772d3dacca3dd4b5df4abc9","parentId",2377735,"title","Lawmakers press PEMA on urban search‑and‑rescue funding; Joint State Government Commission study expected in June","audioSeconds",188,"startMs",1229080,"endMs",1418000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377735-8b5beb606772d3dacca3dd4b5df4abc9&start=1229&end=1418","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377735-8b5beb606772d3dacca3dd4b5df4abc9/thumbnail_1229080.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316108/Pennsylvania/Lawmakers-press-PEMA-on-urban-searchandrescue-funding-Joint-State-Government-Commission-study-expected-in-June","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316108-57a5fe6041f56184cb3c334c906837cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178091&Signature=c213fDUs~uYiP2NAfDgIrDorCV31Awdth5ttLMLYzaGgWhbtLNc~vH9aE-0tBEXnLPHdo7-R1U0sgFs~6G5x7U6~HDUiCd3fGhBJHJA7~1Ar0Xd5bOOFOnuRLjlaHgji3ih46LDylau5UYJovRxX5YBICd0StyuwpNsUygJI0~sRL6j5cWHaqDjhQzBcXnZN-lwq1N4MqCtCL58L46tubp-NJ9i9tEJhl~qwOZV1LsD4iLUckdka0OANFnyaE2m5VXTxs0T4s0lUBp~NY6okg6dSutkd3j0Tr3gATPoDL4MQm1HzbkVna5ZH03WmE4nZk4mhfjuqBlnjr8A~XBCupA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pennsylvania House of Representatives","date","2025-02-21T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Jason Kahl asked PEMA why a $6 million line item for urban search‑and‑rescue (USAR) was removed from the governor’s 2025–26 proposal and how the state is supporting regional USAR capability.

Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said the $6 million was included in last year’s budget and that the city of Pittsburgh has been identified as the sponsoring agency for the Western Pennsylvania USAR team. He told the committee that an interagency agreement and grant transfer documents are being finalized to move previously appropriated funds to that sponsoring agency.

Padfield said a separate review is underway through the Joint State Government Commission. “There is a joint state government commission report that is being generated. There is a committee … to take a look and assess urban search and rescue in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said, and added that the commission’s report should make recommendations about ongoing financial needs and how USAR should be structured; the committee expects that report in June.

Why it matters: Pennsylvania’s USAR capability is organized in regional teams that respond to structural collapse and similar incidents. Lawmakers pressed PEMA on whether current investment is sufficient and whether the $6 million should be a recurring appropriation.

Background and current funding
Padfield told the committee the Western Pennsylvania USAR effort has received prior allocations including $4.4 million in fiscal 2023 through the Department of Community and Economic Development and the $6 million from last year’s appropriation. “So $10.4 million is a significant investment in USAR capability,” he said, adding that the state’s system was designed after 2001 and that response needs and structures warrant reassessment for the coming decades.

Padfield described USAR capability as a tiered system that begins with local responders, uses regional teams for larger structural collapse incidents and escalates to state support only when needed. He said the vast majority of such incidents are handled at the regional level and that there are eight regional teams in the Commonwealth.

Ending
Committee members said they want the commission’s report and PEMA’s recommendations before making long‑term appropriations decisions. Padfield said PEMA will await the Joint State Government Commission findings and then adapt funding requests as required.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Committee -- February 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives asked why a $6 million urban search‑and‑rescue line item was omitted from the governor’s proposed budget. PEMA said prior appropriations have funded Western Pennsylvania capability and that a Joint State Government Commission review will recommend future funding levels.","taxTitle","Appropriations, House of Representatives, Legislative, Pennsylvania","taxId",29233,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6316112,"PEMA, State Fire Commissioner outline 2025–26 budget requests to expand mitigation, training and grants",751,93880,845000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377735-8b5beb606772d3dacca3dd4b5df4abc9&start=93&end=845","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377735-8b5beb606772d3dacca3dd4b5df4abc9/thumbnail_93880.jpg","/articles/6316112/Pennsylvania/PEMA-State-Fire-Commissioner-outline-202526-budget-requests-to-expand-mitigation-training-and-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316112-bd67dbddbee90a0eccb3477e727b70ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178091&Signature=TohxaoxM0wZNGxZxua3UPRoAikqpqLkSreCklRljg7nnt3d3wjVQO2bLJNkwXptoyaLlgvQ9fc4hhwdeFIsLJlbCDx3~JP30tjt5s-hGevVz-IlUpBYFHXAyUgliBbkVYQG5PWTrD7pc53EQUE1CcuLvAP5A94RhuXjOKI4Q3Pc7EhnHah5ZDbPaNYLXNjnY3Tals9BIsMBIcl~qhYRP6OcWSSNJc~8kyD60LFEdcRpIOwXvLJZYXwmYYZNj7L3Af9Mb4LnMdGRrABRSHoo96LHeOsBGvlXnPy2PsEsgreywsWMi81wbsC3c7AzBIEVMgS9Hg-HYv8OCwe1-F81smg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and Thomas Cook, state fire commissioner, told the House Appropriations Committee on Friday that the agencies’ 2025–26 budget requests are intended to preserve readiness, expand hazard mitigation and support the state’s volunteer and career fire services.

Padfield told the committee that PEMA’s mission spans preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery and 9‑1‑1 support and stressed the agency’s small size relative to its responsibilities. “PEMA is a small agency tasked with a large mission space that encompasses many components ranging from preparedness, mitigation efforts to response, recovery, and 9‑1‑1 services,” he said. He cited the agency’s work last year on Tropical Storm Debbie, a lake‑effect snow event in Erie, an influenza outbreak, a medical jet crash in Philadelphia and a recent industrial fire in Montgomery County as examples of its workload.

Why it matters: The budgets will shape state support for emergency response, hazard mitigation, 9‑1‑1 modernization and grant programs that local fire departments and counties rely on. The proposals include requests for new legislative authority and program funding that could change how state dollars are used for mitigation and local support.

Key items in the requests
- Legislative authority for mitigation: Padfield said the budget proposes “taking legislative action to allow for existing funds at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to be used for mitigation projects in addition to emergency response.” The change is intended to make state match dollars more usable for pre‑disaster projects that reduce future damage and human suffering.
- Fire Commission grants and workforce supports: Commissioner Thomas Cook described four primary program areas — financial assistance, prevention and community risk reduction, retention and recruitment, and training through the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy — and outlined proposals that include expanded competitive grants to fire companies and a pilot program to encourage municipal cooperation. Cook also noted the governor’s proposal for $30 million in competitive grants for fire companies and a proposed insurance benefit to cover annual cancer screenings for firefighters covered by private insurance. “This budget calls for legislative action to provide free cancer screenings for all firefighters covered by private insurance,” Cook said.
- Training, accreditation and equipment: The Office of the State Fire Commissioner said it has modernized grant applications, increased loan approvals (approving over $27 million in loans in 2024), rolled out training partnerships and put a mobile live‑fire training unit into service to reach firefighters statewide.
- Federal funding dependence and contingency concerns: Committee members pressed PEMA on the share of federal versus state funding that supports operations and grants. Padfield and staff acknowledged a high level of federal funding for many PEMA programs and said the agency is planning for contingencies if federal support changes.

Committee context and next steps
Committee members questioned how proposed changes would be administered and whether the state must alter statute to permit the mitigation‑use changes. Padfield said PEMA will work with the legislature to modernize Title 35 and other authorities where necessary and emphasized the agency’s readiness to support counties during recovery. Cook said the Office of the State Fire Commissioner will work with its Fire Advisory Board and stakeholders to develop specifics for any new grant program and to refine eligibility and priorities.

Ending
Both PEMA and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner said they will provide follow‑up information to the committee as requested and that they expect further legislative coordination on statutory changes and program design. The agencies’ requests will be considered during the committee’s budget deliberations.","Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield and State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook told the House Appropriations Committee their 2025–26 requests aim to broaden mitigation authority, sustain readiness and fund new fire service grants and cancer-screening proposals.","actionData","errors"]

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Lawmakers press PEMA on urban search‑and‑rescue funding; Joint State Government Commission study expected in June

PEMA, State Fire Commissioner outline 2025–26 budget requests to expand mitigation, training and grants