Volunteer Firefighters, EMS To Receive Special Tax Rebate In Montco

NORRISTOWN, PA — Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service personnel in Montgomery County will receive a special tax rebate this year, county officials announced this week.

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners passed the new program that will provide a 25, 50, 75, or 100 percent rebate to eligible volunteers on their property taxes.

“Our volunteer fire and EMS members put their lives on the line every day for our community,” Commssioner Jamila H. Winder said in a statement. “This program offers the approximately 3,000 active volunteers in Montgomery County a rebate of up to 100% of their Montgomery County real estate tax, as a thank you for their service."

The exact rate of the rebate is dependent on the extent of the volunteer's service, including participation in emergency calls, trainings, public education events, as well as taking on leadership roles.

County leaders said that the rebate "acknowledges the risk" taken by emergency responders on each call, and offers an additional rebate to those who are injured on duty.

Volunteer firefighter nunbers have dramatically dropped in Pennsylvania from 360,000 in the 1970s to less than 37,000 in 2024, officials added. They hope the program will be an incentive for more to serve.

For individuals who want to apply for the rebate program, see here.