Bill Text: NJ S720 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DCA to establish training course concerning certain fire code enforcement activities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S720 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S720-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DAWN MARIE ADDIEGO
District 8 (Atlantic, Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DCA to establish training course concerning certain fire code enforcement activities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the training of fire officials and fire inspectors, and supplementing P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, shall develop a training course to inform fire officials and fire inspectors of the requirements concerning the enforcement of the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.) with respect to commercial farm buildings and seasonal agricultural labor housing. The training course shall be based on the separate fire safety code criteria promulgated pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 3951 of 2019), and the training course shall be developed within 60 days of the promulgation of the regulations.
b. The division shall provide the training course, free of charge, to the fire officials and fire inspectors of each enforcing agency. Each fire official and fire inspector shall satisfactorily complete the training course no later than one year after the training course is developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section, except that any fire official or fire inspector who is certified by the division following the incorporation of applicable education requirements pursuant to subsection c. of this section shall not be required to complete the training course. The division shall continue to provide the training course until each fire official or fire inspector, who has not completed a certification program under subsection c. of this section, has completed the training course.
c. Following the promulgation of the separate fire safety code criteria pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 3951 of 2019), the division shall incorporate educational requirements concerning the regulation of commercial farm buildings and seasonal agricultural labor housing under the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.) into the certification program for fire officials and fire inspectors.
d. The provisions of this section shall apply to fire officials and fire inspectors that are appointed or employed to enforce the Uniform Fire Code in jurisdictions containing property subject to taxation under the "Farmland Assessment Act of 1964," P.L.1964, c.48 (C.54:4-23.1 et seq.) as determined by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury.
e. As used in this section:
"Division" means the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs.
"Fire inspector" means a person working under the direction of the fire official who is certified by the Commission of Community Affairs and appointed or designated to enforce the Uniform Fire Code by the appointing authority of a local enforcing agency.
"Fire official" means a person certified by the Commissioner of Community Affairs and appointed or designated to direct the enforcement of the Uniform Fire Code.
"Uniform Fire Code" means the code promulgated pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-198).
2. This act shall take effect upon the enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 3951 of 2019).
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), in consultation with the Department of Agriculture (NJDA), to establish a training course to inform fire officials and fire inspectors of the requirements concerning the enforcement of the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.) with respect to commercial farm buildings and seasonal agricultural labor housing.
Specifically, the training course is to be based on the separate fire safety code criteria for commercial farm buildings and seasonal agricultural labor housing, which are jointly promulgated by the DCA and NJDA pursuant to a companion bill. Under the bill each fire official and fire inspector in the State is required to successfully complete the training course within one year of the development of the course.
The bill requires the Division of Fire Safety in the DCA to continue to provide the training course, free of charge, until each fire official and fire inspector has successfully completed the course. Additionally, the bill requires the division to incorporate educational requirements concerning the regulation of commercial farm buildings and seasonal agricultural labor housing under the "Uniform Fire Safety Act," P.L.1983, c.383 (C.52:27D-192 et seq.) into the certification program for fire officials and fire inspectors. Under the bill any fire official or fire inspector who is certified by the division after the incorporation of these educational requirements is not required to complete the training course.
The bill applies to fire officials and fire inspectors that are appointed or employed to enforce the Uniform Fire Code in jurisdictions containing property subject to taxation under the "Farmland Assessment Act of 1964" as determined by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury.
This bill is to take effect upon the enactment of a companion bill.
