Illinois hopes to boost volunteer firefighter force with new tax credit
CHICAGO (CBS) – It's two weeks until taxes are due.
While that may not be an exciting story, here's a more fiery one: the Illinois Department of Revenue is offering free money to volunteer firefighters.
During a recent interview, Glen Ellyn volunteer firefighter Patrick Ryan was interrupted -- as a fire truck left for a call as he was speaking to CBS 2.
The firefighters are used to the unexpected. Requests for help come in at all hours.
"Some days, I have literally gotten up from the dinner table," he said.
Ryan is still a volunteer. He said his favorite part of responding to a call was "They call 911 and we show up to help them, to help them solve their problem."
He does so without being paid. Nearly 70% of Illinois firefighters are volunteers. They rescue others between raising families and working full time.
"People will move away. People will age out," said Chris Clark, chief of the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company.
Recruitment never stops in Glen Ellyn, but with more than 60 members, Clark considers himself lucky.
"There are many volunteer fire departments across the state that are struggling a lot more," Clark said.
One of those departments is in Fairmont City near the Missouri border. The chief there told CBS 2 that finding free labor is "like pushing a rope up a hill."
At Signal Hill Fire Department in Belleville, an action-packed video is an attempt to recruit, along with flyers that went up last week in high schools. The size of the team there is about two-thirds of what it used to be.
The problem of waning volunteerism is affecting departments across the United States.
The National Volunteer Fire Council told CBS 2, "The number of volunteer firefighters reached a low in 2020, while call volume continues to rise every year (largely due to the increase in emergency medical calls). There are many challenges when it comes to recruitment and retention, including increased training and time requirements; people having less time to volunteer due to two-income families, longer commute times to work, and people potentially holding multiple jobs; younger people moving away from small-town and rural areas leaving less pool of new recruits to join the local fire department; among other reasons."
"If something caught on fire, you need people to fight the fire," said State Sen. Chris Belt, (D-East St. Louis).
Belt worked with chiefs to create what they hope will beef up lean fire teams. It's called the Volunteer Emergency Worker Credit, a new tax incentive that allows firefighters who work for free or for a small stipend to shave $500 off what they owe for their 2023 taxes.
"We really, really think that it shows our volunteer emergency workers that we value and that we honor them and that we respect them," Belt said.
The tax break is available to 10,000 Illinois emergency workers, even those who are paid a tiny amount to respond to calls. The requirements include serving at least nine months last year and making less than $5,000. A chief must verify their work, and they'll have to submit an application.
Ryan is one of the more than 3,000 people who've gotten the $500 credit so far.
"There's a lot of wear and tear on our vehicles, and I'm spending money on gas, so this tax credit, it's great," Ryan said.
The boost is a little fire in the engine to keep going.
Those interested can find volunteer firefighter opportunities through the website MakeMeAFirefighter.org, which is run by the National Volunteer Fire Council. At least 12 fire departments within 50 miles of Chicago are in need of volunteers, including Prospect Heights, East Hazel Crest, and Crete. It takes about 18 months to become a fully trained volunteer.
The Illinois Department of Revenue said tax credits will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. A spokesperson encouraged everyone to apply. Of the applications processed so far for 2023 taxes, about 3,000 people have claimed their $500. For more information from the IDOR website.