With the deadline for a state budget just over two months away, Gov. Josh Shapiro visited a South Hills fire station in hopes of kindling excitement for his own spending plan — and its investment in municipal fire departments especially.
“You deserve to have a government that works with you and for you,” said Shapiro, standing before a ladder truck at the Mt. Lebanon Public Safety Building and addressing the firefighters mixed in with a crowd of elected officials and onlookers. “You, of course, are always first on the scene, and we, of course, are always gonna make sure to have your backs.”
Fire departments across the state face challenges ranging from the spiraling cost of equipment to the dwindling number of volunteers, especially for smaller departments. Shapiro’s proposal takes a three-pronged approach to addressing those needs.
First, it would create a new $30 million grant program that would help fire departments purchase new equipment and train firefighters. The money would double the $30 million the state already allocates to fire departments. Second, Shapiro would set up a pilot program intended to help fire companies pool resources and cooperate more closely.
Third, Shapiro also wants to provide annual cancer screenings to firefighters, among whom there has been increasing concern about elevated cancer risks — whether from smoke, burning chemicals in upholstery or other household products, or even the firefighters’ own equipment.
“I've talked to so many firefighters who will go out there knowing the risk of the chemicals they're breathing in, knowing the risks sometimes of the uniforms that they wear and wondering whether or not it's impacting their health in the long run,” said Shapiro. “You shouldn't have to wonder. You shouldn't have to worry.”
Those initiatives were hailed by Ralph Sicuro, the head of Pittsburgh’s firefighters union local. Sicuro said the grant program would help struggling municipal fire departments, and the “cancer screenings will save lives. Through early detection and treatment, you will not only improve the survival rate, but you will also be able to return many of these firefighters back to serving the communities they love.”
Shapiro has made a number of firehouse visits in recent days, perhaps not surprisingly because the issue is not just about budgetary abstractions for him. His life and the lives of his family were threatened just over a week ago by what authorities say was an act of arson at the governor’s official residence in Harrisburg.
“This past weekend, my family and I experienced what it's like to be rushed away while you see heroes rushing in, in order to put out a fire and save lives,” he said. “That serves as a reminder that firefighters go out every single day to put out fires, not just for governors, first ladies and first families, but for every Pennsylvanian.”
Shapiro also said that President Donald Trump, who had been criticized for his earlier failure to address the arson beyond dismissing the accused arsonist as a “whack job,” called him on Saturday.
“We spoke for quite a bit of time,” Shapiro said. “He called to share his warm regards for me and Lori and our family. I appreciated his call very much, and we agreed to stay in touch.”
Shapiro said that the two men also discussed the future of U.S. Steel and a proposal by the Japanese firm Nippon Steel Corporation to purchase the Pittsburgh-based steelmaker. Former President Joe Biden’s administration put the kibosh on the deal, which Trump has also opposed in the past. But he’s sent mixed signals since, initiating another review of the acquisition by an economic-security panel while also making clear he doesn’t want the company to end up with foreign ownership.
“While I'm not gonna get into the specifics of my conversation with the president, I will tell you that we spent a good bit of time speaking about U.S. Steel,” Shapiro said. “And I reiterated, or I said to him very clearly what I've now reiterated publicly many times, the need to protect the jobs in Western Pennsylvania, a goal that he shares as well. We agreed to stay in touch and continue to work on that.”
