The Easttown Township Board of Supervisors presented their 2011 Preliminary Budget in late November. This budget includes operating and capital contribution numbers at 2010 levels for the fire companies that service Easttown. The Berwyn Fire Company is optimistic that the Final budget will be approved with the same figures in place.

$132,901 is listed as the total Fire and Ambulance expenditure in the 2011 budget. It is important to breakdown the numbers and to show the community exactly what each line item represents. The actual township funding from tax dollars, including Workers Compensation, that is received by the Berwyn and Paoli fire companies from Easttown Township is $158,901, while the combined annual expenditures of the two fire companies are expected to be over $2.5 million in 2011.

To learn more about how the Berwyn Fire Company is funded please visit the HOW ARE WE FUNDED section of our website. We hope you will find the information below helpful in understanding how we are funded from a municipal perspective. You can view the 2011 Tredyffrin Township Funding Update information by clicking on our News Archive link.

Township Operating Contribution ($46,245)

Berwyn: $16,480
Paoli: $29,765

The two fire companies that service Easttown on a primary basis receive operating support in the form of tax dollars.

Township Capital Contribution ($47,000)

Berwyn: $47,000
Paoli: $0

Berwyn and Paoli receive capital support that assists with payment of apparatus as needed. For example, Berwyn will take delivery of a new ladder truck that will cost about $1 million in early 2011.

Township Advanced Life Support ($39,656)

Berwyn: $39,656

Easttown Township is serviced by Berwyn Fire Company for ALS services. Berwyn is the only organization that receives a contribution in this category.

Personnel – Benefits – Workers Compensation ($26,000)

Berwyn: $26,000

It is common for the municipality in Pennsylvania where a fire company is located to provide for workers compensation. Paoli Fire Company will receive $20,000 in the 2011 budget from Tredyffrin, while the Berwyn Fire Company will receive their contribution in this line item from Easttown Township.

Transfer to Fireman's Relief - State Aid Pass Through ($132,000)

Berwyn/Paoli: $132,000

The Berwyn Fire Company also operates the Berwyn Volunteer Firefighter Relief Association which is a charitable, non-profit organization formed to afford financial protection to volunteer firefighters and to encourage individuals within the community to participate in the volunteer fire service. The relief association bylaws regulate the specific procedures by which the association assets are managed. The relief association is funded by the Foreign Fire Insurance Tax. The tax is paid by fire insurance companies which do business in Pennsylvania but are not domiciled here. The State of Pennsylvania determines the amount of distribution to each municipality based upon the population of that municipality as well as the market value of real estate within the municipality.

Upon receipt of the distribution, the municipality must allocate the funds to the relief association of the fire company or companies which are recognized as providing services to the municipality. The 2011 Budget is $132,000 for this line item that will be divided to the Berwyn and Paoli fire companies based on call volume and area protected. Although this items appears in the same chart as Fire and Ambulance funding, none of this money comes directly from State or Easttown Township taxpayers.

Questions regarding this information can be directed to info@berwynfireco.org.

To view the entire Easttown Township budget, please visit their website at http://www.easttown.org.