BILL NUMBER:  S6235

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the executive law, in relation to
reporting by the office of fire prevention and control

 PURPOSE :

This bill will ensure the safety of all paid and volunteer fire
fighters, by updating the reporting requirements in relation to
training and qualifications.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 Paragraph 17 of section 156 of the executive law is amended
to read as follows:

17. Issue a written report to the governor and legislature, on or
before February fifteenth of each year, on firefighter training
activities. Such report shall include at least the following
information: the minimum training hours allocated on a
county-by-county basis, the training hours requested by each county,
any unfulfilled training hour requests, the number of hours used by
each county on a county-by-county basis, and a statewide total of the
number of hours allocated to each firefighter. Such report shall also
identify the fire department or district providing the training
including the number of hours of training and the type of training for
              

each firefighter. In addition, such report shall also list the names
of those firefighters qualified to do interior firefighting.  The
written report shall be prominently posted on the division of homeland
security and emergency services website no later than March first of
each year.

Section 2 states the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

This legislation requires the Office of Fire Prevention and Control
(OFPC) to calculate the names and hours of all firefighters in New
York State qualified for interior firefighting and for that
information to be posted and updated annually on the New York State
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services website.

Ensuring appropriate recordkeeping and public notification of which
firefighters in New York State have the appropriate and type of
training to qualify for interior firefighting is a critical and
commonsense public safety measure. This legislation will create a very
clear understanding of the specific tasks and duties each firefighter
is approved to handle at a fire or emergency situation.

Very often, smaller fire districts, departments, and companies do not
have the ability, space or personnel to appropriately retain an
appropriate recordkeeping of their firefighters. New York State
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has recognized the need for more
transparency for fire protection costs and his office released a March
2017 report titled, Fire Protection in New York State: How Is It
Provided in Your Community?, which noted: "Many of these entities are
quite small and - as noted above - run by part-time and volunteer
staff.  While many of these organizations do a good job of maintaining
financial records, there have been instances where weak internal
controls or lack of governing board oversight have led to negative
outcomes."

A statewide collection and reporting system will add to increased
safety and transparency. OFPC is already required to issue an annual
written report to the governor and legislature on firefighter training

activities and this legislation would simply add additional and
critical information to the existing report.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.