ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. - Would you do a job where you don't get paid?
Of course most don't, but volunteer firefighters and EMTs to it every day and love it.
Many small communities in Accomack County and across the United States rely on volunteer fire and EMS services to protect neighbors and their property.
But it can be a challenging commitment of time and finances, which has made it difficult to recruit, train, and retain volunteers.
"Nowadays people are working multiple jobs, have less time and the training and qualifications is always changing," said Harrison Phillips, a County Board of Supervisors member from District 5. "It takes more time to be a volunteer than it did say, 20, 30 years ago."
And with economic conditions that can make being a volunteer first responder almost like a second full-time job, it's difficult to find folks willing to sacrifice family and personal time to do this important work.
"You're out all hours of the night, and you have to get up and go to work the next day," said Deputy Chief Timmy McCready of the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Company. "It's just kind of tough to keep people in to do these kinds of things."
So in Accomack County, which has been dealing with a shortage of qualified volunteer first responders for several years, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new tax break targeted at attracting and retaining quality firefighters and EMTs.
Starting January 1, 2023, volunteer first responders who are on call to respond to emergencies will be eligible to have the property tax rate on one personal vehicle reduced to just one cent per $100 of value.
The normal tax rate for passenger vehicles in Accomack County is $2.99 per $100 of value. So that means that the owner of a $10,000 vehicle normally would owe $299 in annual taxes. But qualified volunteer first responders would only pay $1.
Why a rate of one penny per $100? That's because Virginia law prohibits a tax rate of zero percent.
This new tax break is expected to cost the County $123,000 per year, which for Supervisor Harrison Phillips is a good value.
"So it's a very small price to pay what the county and the citizens will be receiving from the volunteers," Phillips said.