On May 18, a ballot question asked Pennsylvanians to take a side on the Municipal Fire and EMS Services Loan Measure.

That very formal-sounding title boils down to a simple idea. Should municipal fire departments and ambulance companies be able to borrow from the state’s loan fund to support capital upgrades? Seems like a kind of obvious call, right? Voters agreed, with 73% supporting the measure.

But what does that “yes” vote really mean?

The Volunteer Loan Assistance Program was created in 1976. It is a pool of money generated by bond issues that makes it possible for the volunteer fire and EMS companies that make up the largest chunk of first responder organizations in Pennsylvania to obtain low-interest loans to buy their equipment and invest in their infrastructure.

Volunteer companies sometimes are given support by municipalities, but their independence makes that something they cannot depend upon. The loans give a way to obtain the funds they need to keep the trucks on the road and lights on in the firehouse.

Municipal companies now will have the same access to those funds. This could be a questionable decision since the measure doesn’t add more money to the pot even though it opens the door to more borrowers, yet it was a proposal that enjoyed wide support from both parties. Who doesn’t want to support firefighters, right?

The people who run into burning buildings to save our lives and put their bodies on the line to protect our property, the EMS workers who show up at our doors when we are at our most desperate and vulnerable — these are people who Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly voted to support.

That is important because, whether professional or volunteer, the first responders who do these jobs are frequently asked to do so with more updated vehicles and equipment but without the means to make that happen. The voters clearly understand that emergency personnel need a helping hand to help us.

The question we need to answer is not, should fire companies be able to get loans to put out our fires? It is, why are we not making it easier for them to do the dangerous but critical job they do for us every day?

— The Tribune-Review, Greensburg/TNS