Bill Text: NY A08271 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that no person shall be eligible for appointment or election as a fire chief, or any title or rank that includes the duties of the chief, in any fire department or fire company with six or more paid firefighters, unless such person meets the requirements established by the chief training and education task force.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to local governments [A08271 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A08271-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8271

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      June 11, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Local Governments

        AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to qualifications
          of a fire chief

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The general municipal  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 204-dd to read as follows:
     3    §  204-dd. Qualifications of a fire chief. No person shall be eligible
     4  for appointment or election as a fire chief, or any title or  rank  that
     5  includes the duties of the chief, in any fire department or fire company
     6  with  six or more paid firefighters, unless he or she meets the require-
     7  ments established by the chief training  and  education  task  force  as
     8  defined  in  subdivision  one  of  this  section.  For  purposes of this
     9  section, the term firefighter shall mean a member of a  fire  department
    10  whose  duties include fire service as defined in paragraph d of subdivi-
    11  sion eleven of section three hundred two of the  retirement  and  social
    12  security  law  and  who has been assigned by his or her department as an
    13  interior firefighter.
    14    1. There is hereby established within the department of homeland secu-
    15  rity and emergency services a chief training and education  task  force.
    16  The purpose of the task force is to establish minimum qualifications for
    17  any  chief, or any title or rank that includes the duties of a chief, in
    18  any fire department or fire company with six or more paid  firefighters.
    19  The  task  force  shall  no later than one hundred eighty days after the
    20  effective date of this section, submit to the state  fire  administrator
    21  recommendations  based  on  the  qualifications  established by the task
    22  force. Upon receipt of the task force recommendations,  the  state  fire
    23  administrator  shall  promulgate rules and regulations based upon recom-
    24  mendations of the task force.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13219-01-9
        A. 8271                             2

     1    2. The task force shall thereafter meet annually to review  previously
     2  established  qualifications  by  the task force and amend any qualifica-
     3  tions such task force deems  necessary.  The  state  fire  administrator
     4  shall  issue  amended  rules  and regulations based on amendments recom-
     5  mended by the task force.
     6    3.  The  chief  training and education task force shall consist of six
     7  members and shall include the  commissioner  of  homeland  security  and
     8  emergency  services  or  his or her designee; the president of the fire-
     9  men's association of the state of New York or his or her  designee;  the
    10  president of the New York state association of fire chiefs or his or her
    11  designee; the president of the association of fire districts of New York
    12  state or his or her designee; the president of the county fire coordina-
    13  tors  of the New York state or his or her designee; and the president of
    14  the New York state professional firefighters association or his  or  her
    15  designee.  All appointees of the chief training and education task force
    16  shall be made no later than thirty days after the effective date of this
    17  section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.
    18    4. The members of the chief training and education  task  force  shall
    19  serve  without  compensation, except that members shall be allowed their
    20  necessary and actual expenses  incurred  in  the  performance  of  their
    21  duties under this section.
    22    5.  The department of homeland security shall provide the chief train-
    23  ing and education task force with such facilities, assistance, and  data
    24  as will enable such task force to carry out its powers and duties.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.