Relates to the submission date for a report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention and to the effectiveness of certain provisions relating thereto.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9597
IN ASSEMBLY
March 23, 2022
___________
Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- (at request of the Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Services) -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend chapter 258 of the laws of 2020 relating to directing
the office of fire prevention and control within the division of home-
land security and emergency services to form a task force and issue a
report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention, in
relation to the submission date of such report and to the effective-
ness thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Sections 1 and 2 of chapter 258 of the laws of 2020, relat-
2 ing to directing the office of fire prevention and control within the
3 division of homeland security and emergency services to form a task
4 force and issue a report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment
5 and retention, as amended by chapter 7 of the laws of 2021, are amended
6 to read as follows:
7 Section 1. New York state volunteer firefighter recruitment and
8 retention task force. There is hereby created the volunteer firefighter
9 recruitment and retention task force whose membership shall consist of
10 the chair to be appointed by the governor; the state fire administrator
11 or his or her designee; the commissioner of education or his or her
12 designee; the chancellor of the state university of New York or his or
13 her designee; the commissioner of taxation and finance or his or her
14 designee; the commissioner of labor or his or her designee; nine members
15 appointed by the governor; the president of the Fireman's Association of
16 the State of New York or his or her designee; the president of the Asso-
17 ciation of Fire Districts or his or her designee; the president of the
18 New York State Association of Fire Chiefs or his or her designee; the
19 president of the New York State Fire Coordinators or his or her desig-
20 nee; two members appointed by the temporary president of the senate; two
21 members appointed by the speaker of the assembly; one member appointed
22 by the minority leader of the senate; and one member appointed by the
23 minority leader of the assembly. The task force shall report to the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14573-01-2
A. 9597 2
1 governor, the speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the
2 senate no later than [one year after the effective date of this act]
3 December 31, 2022. Such report shall include, but not be limited to,
4 recommendations concerning:
5 1. Firefighter 1 training, and all other firefighter training offered
6 by the office of fire prevention and control, and delivery methods to
7 enhance and streamline training including the use of distance learning;
8 2. The utilization of community colleges, BOCES or state accredited
9 high schools to train firefighters and the creation of pilot programs
10 within community colleges or BOCES that will offer Firefighter 1 certif-
11 ication upon completion;
12 3. The feasibility and necessity of creation of a bureau within the
13 office of fire prevention and control responsible for recruitment and
14 retention of volunteer firefighters;
15 4. Tax incentives and volunteer firefighter benefits currently
16 provided and recommendations as to these or new programs;
17 5. Analysis of current recruitment and retention programs successfully
18 being utilized by other states and recommendations as to adoption of
19 similar programs in New York; and
20 6. Identification and recruitment incentives to assist in the recruit-
21 ment of volunteer firefighters from under-represented and at-risk popu-
22 lations.
23 All appointees of the task force shall be made no later than sixty
24 days after the effective date of this act. Any vacancy shall be filled
25 by the appointing authority. The task force shall meet as frequently as
26 deemed necessary prior to issuing its recommendations. The members of
27 the task force shall serve without compensation, except that members
28 shall be allowed their necessary and actual expenses incurred in the
29 performance of their duties under this section. The office of fire
30 prevention and control within the department of homeland security and
31 emergency services shall provide the task force with such facilities,
32 assistance, and data as will enable such task force to carry out its
33 powers and duties within reason.
34 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
35 deemed repealed [April 1] December 31, 2022.
36 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately, and shall be deemed to
37 have been in full force and effect on and after November 11, 2020;
38 provided, however, that the amendments to section 1 of chapter 258 of
39 the laws of 2020 made by section one of this act shall not affect the
40 repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
