Bill Text: NY S07589 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Directs the office of fire prevention and control within the division of homeland security and emergency services to form a task force and issue a report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention; creates the New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention task force; requires a report to the governor and legislature on Firefighter 1 training, and all other firefighter training offered by the office of fire prevention and control, and delivery methods to enhance and streamline training including the use of distance learning; the utilization of community colleges, BOCES or state accredited high schools to train firefighters and the creation of pilot programs within community colleges or BOCES that will offer Firefighter 1 certification upon completion; the creation of a dedicated bureau within the office of fire prevention and control responsible for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters; tax incentives and volunteer firefighter benefits currently provided and recommendations as to these or new programs; analysis of current recruitment and retention programs successfully being utilized by other states and recommendations as to adoption of similar programs in New York; and identification and recruitment incentives to assist in the recruitment of volunteer firefighters from under-represented and at-risk populations; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-11-11 - approval memo.12 [S07589 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S07589-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7589--B

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 29, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. GAUGHRAN, ADDABBO, KAPLAN, SKOUFIS -- read twice and
          ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
          Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended,  ordered  reprinted  as
          amended  and  recommitted  to  said committee -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee

        AN  ACT  directing  the office of fire prevention and control within the
          division of homeland security and emergency services to  form  a  task
          force and issue a report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment
          and  retention;  and  providing for the repeal of such provisions upon
          expiration thereof

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  New  York  state  volunteer  firefighter  recruitment and
     2  retention task force. There is hereby created the volunteer  firefighter
     3  recruitment  and  retention task force whose membership shall consist of
     4  the chair to be appointed by the governor; the  state fire administrator
     5  or his or her designee; the commissioner of  education  or  his  or  her
     6  designee;  the  chancellor of the state university of New York or his or
     7  her designee; the commissioner of taxation and finance  or  his  or  her
     8  designee;  the  commissioner of labor or his or her designee; the presi-
     9  dent of the Fireman's Association of the State of New York or his or her
    10  designee; the president of the Association of Fire Districts or  his  or
    11  her  designee;  the  president of the New York State Association of Fire
    12  Chiefs or his or her designee; the president of the New York State  Fire
    13  Coordinators or his or her designee; two members appointed by the tempo-
    14  rary  president  of  the senate; two members appointed by the speaker of
    15  the assembly; one member appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
    16  and one member appointed by the minority leader of the  assembly.    The
    17  task force shall report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly and
    18  the  temporary  president of the senate no later than one year after the
    19  effective date of this act.   Such report  shall  include,  but  not  be
    20  limited to, recommendations concerning:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15049-07-0

        S. 7589--B                          2

     1    1.  Firefighter 1 training, and all other firefighter training offered
     2  by the office of fire prevention and control, and  delivery  methods  to
     3  enhance and streamline training including the use of distance learning;
     4    2.  The  utilization  of community colleges, BOCES or state accredited
     5  high schools to train firefighters and the creation  of  pilot  programs
     6  within community colleges or BOCES that will offer Firefighter 1 certif-
     7  ication upon completion;
     8    3.  The  creation  of  a  dedicated  bureau  within the office of fire
     9  prevention and control responsible  for  recruitment  and  retention  of
    10  volunteer firefighters;
    11    4.   Tax  incentives  and  volunteer  firefighter  benefits  currently
    12  provided and recommendations as to these or new programs;
    13    5. Analysis of current recruitment and retention programs successfully
    14  being utilized by other states and recommendations  as  to  adoption  of
    15  similar programs in New York; and
    16    6. Identification and recruitment incentives to assist in the recruit-
    17  ment  of volunteer firefighters from under-represented and at-risk popu-
    18  lations.
    19    All appointees of the task force shall be made no  later  than  thirty
    20  days  after  the effective date of this act. Any vacancy shall be filled
    21  by the appointing authority. The task force shall meet as frequently  as
    22  deemed  necessary  prior  to issuing its recommendations. The members of
    23  the task force shall serve without  compensation,  except  that  members
    24  shall  be  allowed  their  necessary and actual expenses incurred in the
    25  performance of their duties under  this  section.  The  office  of  fire
    26  prevention  and  control  within the department of homeland security and
    27  emergency services shall provide the task force  with  such  facilities,
    28  assistance,  and  data  as  will enable such task force to carry out its
    29  powers and duties within reason.
    30    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
    31  deemed repealed December 31, 2021.
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