Gov. Matt Meyer signed legislation on Monday aimed at strengthening Delawareโs volunteer fire service by expanding student opportunities and providing new benefits for members and their families.
House Bill 171, sponsored by Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred, and Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, updates the Delaware Volunteerism Act to allow high school students to earn up to one elective credit for volunteering with local fire companies. Schools will now be required to notify students about the option, and the Department of Education will set rules for implementation.
โVolunteer firefighters save lives every day,โ Meyer said. โThese bills are an investment in public safety, in teaching the next generation, and in the dedicated Delawareans who answer the call when we need them most.โ
The change comes as Delaware faces a decline in volunteer firefighters. A 2021 report found in the decade since 2009 class sizes at the Delaware State Fire School fell from 408 to 189, while emergency calls statewide have tripled in the past 30 years.
