PRINTER'S NO. 3346
No. 2384 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY J. TAYLOR, ARMSTRONG, BARRAR, BEBKO-JONES, BLAUM, BUXTON, CAPPELLI, CAWLEY, CIVERA, L. I. COHEN, COSTA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DALLY, EACHUS, FICHTER, FLICK, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, HARHAI, HERMAN, HORSEY, JAMES, JOSEPHS, KELLER, KIRKLAND, LaGROTTA, LAUGHLIN, LYNCH, MANN, MARKOSEK, McGEEHAN, MELIO, MICOZZIE, PISTELLA, READSHAW, ROBERTS, RUBLEY, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STEELMAN, STURLA, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRELLO, WALKO, WASHINGTON, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND YUDICHAK, FEBRUARY 25, 2002
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 25, 2002
AN ACT 1 Establishing the Municipal Firefighter Education and Training 2 Program; and making an appropriation. 3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 4 hereby enacts as follows: 5 Section 1. Municipal Firefighter Education and Training 6 Program. 7 The Office of the State Fire Commissioner shall establish a 8 Municipal Firefighter Education and Training Program in 9 accordance with the provisions of this act. The administration 10 of this program shall be the responsibility of the Office of the 11 State Fire Commissioner. The commissioner, in consultation with 12 the Fire Safety Advisory Committee established under the act of 13 November 13, 1995 (P.L.604, No.61), known as the State Fire
1 Commissioner Act, shall develop basic course criteria and 2 guidelines for the program. The parameters developed by the 3 commissioner shall be consistent with established standards. 4 Section 2. Definitions. 5 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 6 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 7 context clearly indicates otherwise: 8 "Commissioner." The State Fire Commissioner appointed under 9 the act of November 13, 1995 (P.L.604, No.61), known as the 10 State Fire Commissioner Act. 11 "Municipal firefighter." Any full-time employee of a city, 12 borough, town or township fire department assigned to 13 firefighting duties. 14 "School." A training school or academy that offers State 15 Fire Academy certified courses. 16 Section 3. Municipal firefighter training mandatory; penalties. 17 (a) Training.--All political subdivisions of the 18 Commonwealth or groups of political subdivisions acting in 19 concert shall be required to train all members of their fire 20 departments hired by them after the effective date of this 21 section, pursuant to this act. Any person hired as a municipal 22 firefighter by any political subdivision or group of political 23 subdivisions acting in concert after the effective date of this 24 section shall be at the end of one year from the date of his 25 employment ineligible to receive salary, compensation or other 26 consideration or thing of value for the performance of his 27 duties as a firefighter unless he has met all of the 28 requirements as established by the Office of the State Fire 29 Commissioner and has been duly certified as having met those 30 requirements by the commissioner, unless the firefighter is 20020H2384B3346 - 2 -
1 granted additional time to complete his training by the 2 commissioner. However, any person hired as a municipal 3 firefighter will be given a grace period of two years from the 4 effective date of this section before he becomes ineligible to 5 receive salary, compensation or other consideration of things of 6 value. 7 (b) Penalty.--Any official of any political subdivision who 8 orders, authorizes or pays a salary to a person in violation of 9 the provisions of this act commits a summary offense and upon 10 conviction shall be sentenced to pay a fine of $100 or be 11 imprisoned for a term of not more than 30 days. 12 Section 4. Reimbursement of expenses. 13 (a) Allowable ex.penses.--The Office of the State Fire 14 Commissioner shall provide for reimbursement to each political 15 subdivision 100% of the allowable tuition and the ordinary and 16 necessary living and travel expenses incurred by their 17 firefighters while attending certified municipal firefighter 18 basic training schools, provided the political subdivision 19 adheres to the training standards and program guidelines 20 established by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. The 21 regular salary of firefighters while attending schools approved 22 under this act shall be paid by the employing political 23 subdivision. Eighty percent of the regular salaries of 24 firefighters while attending schools approved under this act 25 shall be reimbursed by the commissioner to the employing 26 political subdivision. 27 (b) Grants.--The commissioner shall provide grants as a 28 reimbursement for actual expenses incurred by political 29 subdivisions for municipal firefighters who have successfully 30 completed the required basic course of instruction established 20020H2384B3346 - 3 -
1 by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. 2 (c) Application.--All political subdivisions of the 3 Commonwealth or groups of political subdivisions acting in 4 concert may make application to the commissioner for funding 5 pursuant to this act. The application shall be accompanied by a 6 certified copy of a resolution or resolutions adopted by its 7 governing body or bodies provided that, while receiving any 8 State funds under this act, the political subdivision of the 9 Commonwealth or group of political subdivisions acting in 10 concert will adhere to the standards for training established by 11 the commissioner. The application shall contain such information 12 as the commissioner may request. 13 Section 5. Applicability to civil service laws. 14 Nothing in this act shall be construed to exempt any 15 municipal firefighter from the provisions of the existing civil 16 service or laws relating to tenure. 17 Section 6. Appropriation. 18 The sum of $500,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, 19 is hereby appropriated to the Office of the State Fire 20 Commissioner for the fiscal year July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, 21 to carry out the provisions of this act. 22 Section 7. Effective date. 23 This act shall take effect in 30 days. K7L35JLW/20020H2384B3346 - 4 -