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PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1315
PRINTER'S NO. 1450
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
955
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY VULAKOVICH, COSTA, ARGALL, BAKER, BREWSTER,
FONTANA, GORDNER, HUTCHINSON, KILLION, RAFFERTY,
RESCHENTHALER, SABATINA, SCHWANK, TOMLINSON, WARD, WHITE,
YUDICHAK, AUMENT, STEFANO, SCAVELLO, HUGHES, LEACH, DINNIMAN
AND REGAN, NOVEMBER 13, 2017
SENATOR BROWNE, APPROPRIATIONS, RE-REPORTED AS AMENDED,
JANUARY 30, 2018
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
further providing for firefighter and emergency service
training.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1550 of the act of March 10, 1949
(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
amended to read:
Section 1550. Firefighter and Emergency Service Training.--
(a) [Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year and each school
year thereafter, a] A school district may offer firefighter and
emergency service training as credit-earning courses to students
of the age of sixteen (16) years or older, except as otherwise
provided in subsection (c). Such courses may include:
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(1) Training as a Firefighter I from the National Board on
Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
(2) Training as an emergency medical technician pursuant to
the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the
"Emergency Medical Services Act."
(b) A school district that offers firefighter and emergency
service training as credit-earning courses shall provide
transportation to and supervision during any firefighter and
emergency service training program that takes place off school
grounds. Supervision of training shall be conducted as a
cooperative education program in accordance with the provisions
of 22 Pa. Code § 11.28 (relating to out-of-school programs).
(c) The Community College Secondary Education Fire Training
Pilot Program is established. The purpose of the pilot program
is to provide high school students with instruction through a
partnership between community colleges and school districts or
area vocational-technical schools, or both, to increase the
number of individuals capable of becoming volunteer
firefighters. The pilot program shall be implemented in
accordance with the following:
(1) The State Fire Commissioner shall accept proposals from
community colleges in this Commonwealth for the pilot program.
From the proposals submitted, the State Fire Commissioner shall
select three community colleges to offer the pilot program. The
State Fire Commissioner, to the greatest extent practicable,
shall select one community college each from the eastern,
central and western regions of this Commonwealth. Nothing in
this section shall prohibit a community college from
incorporating emergency medical services instruction in the
pilot program.
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(2) A community college selected by the State Fire
Commissioner shall operate the pilot program by entering into an
agreement with a school district or an area vocational-technical
school, or both, for the provision of fire instruction to
students who are in at least the ninth grade and leading to
Firefighter I certification.
(3) A nonlapsing, restricted account is established in the
State Treasury, to be known as the Fire Training Fund. The State
Fire Commissioner may accept monetary donations and other money
for deposit into the Fire Training Fund from a person, business,
foundation, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C.
§ 501(c)(3)) or government entity on behalf of the Commonwealth.
(4) Money may be appropriated to the State Fire Commissioner
to carry out the provisions of this subsection. Each community
college offering the pilot program shall receive at least one
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for the duration of
the pilot program.
(5) Any funds appropriated, donated or transferred under
this subsection and interest earned on the Fire Training Fund
shall be deposited into the Fire Training Fund.
(6) During the pilot program, the Legislative Budget and
Finance Committee shall conduct a survey of volunteer fire
companies in the municipalities surrounding the school districts
AND AREA VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOLS that participated
PARTICIPATE in the pilot program to determine whether the pilot
program increased IS INCREASING the number of volunteer
firefighters and any additional recommendations. The results of
the survey shall be submitted to the chair and minority chair of
the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the
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Senate and the chair and minority chair of the Veterans Affairs
and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the House of
Representatives within six months of the expiration of the pilot
program.
(7) The pilot program shall expire four years from the
effective date of this subsection.
Section 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2018, or
immediately, whichever is later.
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