PRINTER'S NO. 2913

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No. 2118 Session of 2005

        INTRODUCED BY MANN, BEYER, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, COHEN, DeLUCA,
           FRANKEL, GABIG, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY, GOOD, GOODMAN, JAMES,
           JOSEPHS, M. KELLER, McGEEHAN, S. MILLER, PHILLIPS, PISTELLA,
           SAMUELSON, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, SURRA, THOMAS, TIGUE
           AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 24, 2005

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
           PREPAREDNESS, OCTOBER 24, 2005

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of November 13, 1995 (P.L.604, No.61), entitled
     2     "An act establishing the State Fire Commissioner within the
     3     Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency; transferring the
     4     Volunteer Loan Assistance Program and the State Fire Academy
     5     to the State Fire Commissioner; and making repeals,"
     6     providing for volunteer search and rescue personnel training
     7     and certification.

     8     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     9  hereby enacts as follows:
    10     Section 1.  Section 4 of the act of November 13, 1995
    11  (P.L.604, No.61), known as the State Fire Commissioner Act, is
    12  amended by adding a subsection to read:
    13  Section 4.  Pennsylvania State Fire Academy.
    14     * * *
    15     (d.1)  Volunteer search and rescue personnel training and
    16  certification.--A Statewide volunteer search and rescue
    17  personnel training program shall be implemented by the
    18  commissioner to educate the volunteer search and rescue

     1  community about the importance of volunteer search and rescue
     2  personnel health and safety. This program shall include measures
     3  designed to increase the mobility of training courses throughout
     4  this Commonwealth, to enhance volunteer search and rescue
     5  personnel accessibility to training course offerings and to
     6  improve and expand training for and response capability to
     7  emergencies. The program shall also include implementation of a
     8  volunteer search and rescue personnel certification program in
     9  accordance with parameters developed by the commissioner
    10  consistent with established standards. The acquisition of
    11  physical resources to enhance Statewide capability shall be
    12  coordinated by the commissioner.
    13     * * *
    14     Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.











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