Now Charlestown needs to take care of ITS firefighters
The House approved
legislation from Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi to allow South Kingstown’s all-volunteer
firefighting force to use a break on their district fire taxes to recruit and retain members.
“We are very fortunate in South Kingstown to have an all-volunteer force of firefighters who provide excellent service to our residents,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett).
“However, in recent years it has become more difficult for them
to recruit volunteers. Allowing the district to grant tax exemptions will give
them another important recruitment tool and show our community’s appreciation
for the work that they do protecting us.”
Representative Tanzi’s bill (2024-H 7838) would
allow the Union Fire District of South Kingstown to grant district
fire tax exemptions or abatements
to current and retired firefighters and their spouses.
The bill now heads to the Senate, which has
already passed companion legislation (2024-S 2633)
sponsored by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown).
Supporters of the bill point to the rising cost of housing making it harder to recruit and retain firefighters in the South Kingstown.
“As chief of the department, my goal is to retain enough people to protect the town of South Kingstown,” said Chief Steven Pinch of the Union Fire District.
“We receive over 2,000 calls per year and we stay very busy, but it’s difficult to maintain the staff to respond to that level of call volume. We feel this bill will help us attract older fire fighters with homes in town and retain younger ones as they settle down and are able to stay with us for a longer period of time.”