Lower Towamensing Township supervisors passed two resolutions Tuesday night giving fire department volunteers a tax rebate.

Residents of Lower Towamensing Township who volunteer at the Aquashicola Fire Department or the Palmerton Municipal Fire Department and meet specific criteria are eligible for a 100% reimbursement of their township property taxes and 100% of their earned income taxes for the township.

Brent Green, the chairman of the supervisors, said this equals $500 for a property assessed at $100,000 and about $400 for the earned income tax rebate.

“The applicant has to actually pay their taxes, because it’s a rebate. It’s not an upfront,” Green said. “You have to submit the paperwork in time.”

Green said Nov. 1 is the deadline for last year’s taxes, and the volunteers have to have their fire chief sign off on it.

The criteria for the rebate is different for the two fire departments, which is why there are two resolutions.

For the Aquashicola Fire Department, volunteers have to do the following:

1. Be a registered member of the fire department;

2. Be a resident of Lower Towamensing Township;

3. Respond to at least 25% of the annual calls;

4. Participate in at least 25% of the annual training and drills;

5. Participate and administrate in support levels, and aid in the financial viability, emergency response and operational readiness of the department, which includes facility and equipment maintenance, fundraising, bookkeeping and administrative duties;

6. Be a member for at least six months before claiming it.

Green said the fire companies have to keep track of their volunteers’ participation and then provide the names of those who meet the criteria to the township.

“At this point, I think you’re really only looking at between five to 10 people that would be eligible for this program from the township,” he said.

The second resolution involved Palmerton Municipal Fire Department.

“This one is a little bit unique, because this is a requirement that they already have,” Green said.

Their criteria requires their volunteers to do the following:

1. Be a resident of Lower Towamensing Township;

2. Be a member of the Palmerton Municipal Fire Department;

3. Attend at least 10% of dispatched incidents per quarter;

4. Must read, learn and practice their standard operating guidelines and policies;

5. Know all line officers on sight, and be familiar with the chain of command;

6. Understand emergency medical service operations;

7. Educate themselves on the responsibilities and duties of being a firefighter, first responder and fire police, and make sure they conduct themselves professionally, and maintain an understanding of the location of the equipment in the department;

8. Attend one training per month;

9. Do one daily log or maintenance item per month;

10. Be a member for at least one year.

“Those were set by the borough, and we just copied them into ours, so it’s not that we established a tougher requirement or additional requirements. That’s what the borough currently has,” Green said.

“The goal is that these would be reciprocal so the volunteers that live in the borough but respond to Aquashicola and Lower Towamensing fire department calls will be eligible for their credit up to 20% and then those that live in the township but run with Palmerton Municipal Fire Department will be eligible for our tax rebate.”