Citizen Portal
Sign In

Fire chiefs and volunteers urge tax and benefits changes to halt volunteer decline

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Volunteer firefighters and chiefs told the committee the volunteer ranks are shrinking, average active ages are rising and small stipend payments are taxed, which harms recruitment and retention; witnesses urged repeal of taxation on stipend checks, a new income-tax credit, and continuation of survivor health benefits for fallen volunteers and marshals.

Volunteer chiefs, fire officers and municipal representatives told the Public Safety and Security Committee that Connecticut’s volunteer fire corps is shrinking and that modest stipend payments are being eroded by state income tax, undermining recruitment and morale.

Captains and chiefs from small departments described dramatic long-term declines—departments that once had 80–100 volunteers now list 20 or fewer, with an active core often in the 50–60 average age range. They said stipend checks, meant as modest reimbursements and retention incentives, are reduced by payroll withholding and subject to tax reporting—an outcome witnesses called demoralizing.

"We get a W-2 and the states tax it; it's an insult after the work volunteers put in," one chief said. Witnesses urged two parallel approaches: (1) remove state income tax from stipend payments (or provide an offset) and (2) create a refundable personal income tax credit for active volunteers (HB 5206) or a property-tax credit for home-owning volunteers to help retention and local recruitment.

Members also supported extending survivor health benefits to volunteers and state marshals who are killed in the line of duty (HB 5403 / HB 5404). Representative Rebecca Martinez recounted the Plainville volunteer firefighter who died in a structure fire; his spouse was left with limited employer-based temporary coverage and then COBRA costs. Committee members asked staff to work with stakeholders and the comptroller’s office to clarify funding sources and ensure the fiscal effect is understood.

Fire-service witnesses and lawmakers generally agreed that any credit or exemption should include minimum activity and training criteria (suggested thresholds in testimony included 15% of calls and 30% of trainings) so benefits target active volunteers and minimize gaming.