Relates to the establishment of special districts for general ambulance services; requires a report on issues of volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10368
IN ASSEMBLY
March 2, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Local Governments
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish-
ment of special districts for general ambulance services; and to amend
the executive law, in relation to a report on volunteer firefighter
and ambulance services staffing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of subdivision 1 of section
2 122-b of the general municipal law, paragraphs (d) and (f) as amended by
3 chapter 303 of the laws of 1980 and paragraph (e) as amended by section
4 2 of part KK of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, are amended and a new
5 closing paragraph is added to read as follows:
6 (d) Establish a special district for the financing and operation of
7 general ambulance services as set forth by this section, whereby any
8 county, city, town or village, acting individually, or jointly with any
9 other county, city, town and/or village, through its governing body or
10 bodies, following applicable procedures as are required for the estab-
11 lishment of fire districts in article eleven of the town law or follow-
12 ing applicable procedures as are required for the establishment of joint
13 fire districts in article eleven-A of the town law, with such special
14 district being authorized by this section to be established in all or
15 any part of any such participating county or counties, town or towns,
16 city or cities and/or village or villages;
17 (e) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
18 (b) [or], (c) or (d);
19 [(e)] (f) A contract may be entered into pursuant to the provisions of
20 this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad
21 of a fire department or fire company which is subject to the provisions
22 of section two hundred nine-b of this chapter;
23 [(f)] (g) Consider prehospital emergency treatment as that care
24 provided by certified emergency medical technicians or certified
25 advanced emergency medical technicians certified pursuant to the
26 provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06723-01-5
A. 10368 2
1 Any county, city, town or village which establishes or participates in
2 a joint district pursuant to paragraph (d) of this subdivision shall
3 dissolve and abolish any preexisting local district serving the same
4 jurisdiction.
5 § 2. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the general
6 municipal law, as amended by chapter 303 of the laws of 1980, is amended
7 to read as follows:
8 [(e)] (f) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
9 of this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid
10 squad of a fire department or fire company which is subject to the
11 provisions of section two hundred nine-b of [the general municipal law]
12 this chapter;
13 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 720 to read
14 as follows:
15 § 720. Report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staff-
16 ing. 1. On or before the first day of January two thousand twenty-seven,
17 the commissioner, in consultation with the state office of fire
18 prevention and control, shall prepare and publish a report on the staff-
19 ing of volunteer firefighter and ambulance services in New York state.
20 Such report shall examine and evaluate the challenges and issues
21 concerning the recruiting and maintenance of trained, available staffing
22 by volunteer fire departments, districts and companies as well as for
23 volunteer ambulance districts and companies. Such report shall specif-
24 ically examine and evaluate the challenges and issues that are partic-
25 ular to rural areas of the state and areas with geographic challenges
26 such as mountains, waterways or limited transportation networks.
27 2. In addition to identifying challenges and issues concerning the
28 recruiting and maintenance of trained, available staffing by volunteer
29 fire departments, districts and companies as well as for volunteer ambu-
30 lance districts and companies across New York state, as required by
31 subdivision one of this section, such report shall also make recommenda-
32 tions on how to address and remediate the challenges and issues identi-
33 fied, with such recommendations being submitted to the governor, the
34 temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the
35 chair of the senate standing committee on local government and the chair
36 of the assembly standing committee on local government at the time of
37 the publishing of the report.
38 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
39 the amendments to paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the
40 general municipal law made by section one of this act shall be subject
41 to the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 4
42 of part KK of chapter 55 of the laws of 2022, when upon such date the
43 provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.
