NY State Senate Bill 2021-S7642A

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 21, 2022	print number 7642a
Apr 21, 2022	amend (t) and recommit to local government
Apr 05, 2022	notice of committee consideration - requested
Jan 05, 2022	referred to local government

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

co-Sponsors

2021-S7642 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §122-b, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S3068

2021-S7642 - Summary

Relates to the establishment of special districts for general ambulance services in any county, city, town or village located within the Adirondack park.

2021-S7642 - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7642               Revised 1/6/2022

SPONSOR: STEC
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish-
ment of special districts for general ambulance services within the
Adirondack park; and to amend the executive law, in relation to a report
on volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would authorize municipalities within the Adirondack park to
establish a special district for general ambulance services, and would
require a report by the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Securi-
ty and Emergency Services to identify challenges concerning volunteer
emergency services or personnel.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 - This bill would allow any county, city, town or village
within the Adirondack park to establish a special district for the

financing and operation of general ambulance services.

Section 2 - This bill would also require a report with recommendations
on volunteer firefighter and ambulances services by the commissioner of
the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Section 3 - Provides effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Article 11 of the Town Law governs the requirements to form a fire
district. Presently, a town board or village board of trustees may
establish a joint fire district, when the territory in the joint fire
district is contiguous. However, for a town to establish a new fire
district, it must be outside of any village or city. This restriction
creates difficulty for districts in rural communities or those with
unique geography such as waterways or mountains, as transportation
networks can be limited and response times unavoidably delayed. This
difficulty has led to difficulty obtaining volunteer crews, as each
individual crew member can be required to cover more territory and put
in more hours than in other areas of the state.

According to the New York State Department of Health, a 2013 analysis
showed that the average scene to destination time throughout New York
State was 13.16 minutes. However, in the Adirondack mountain region, for
instance, it was significantly higher in many areas, with the average
scene to destination time in Clinton County being 17.77 minutes, Essex
County 25.55 minutes, Franklin County 18.32 minutes, Hamilton County
53.46 minutes, and Warren County 21.59 minutes. These delayed response
times pose a great threat to saving lives, protecting property and
encouraging the recruitment and retention of volunteers.

This bill seeks to address this issue in two ways. First, it would allow
a municipality to establish a special district with any county, city,
town, or village, thereby allowing communities to establish districts
with economies of scale and participants, in an effort to increase the
quality of emergency protection services.
Second, it would further require a study by the Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Services, calling upon its experts in the state
office of fire prevention and control, to investigate, report and make
recommendations on how to encourage recruitment of crews and improved
response times for their operations.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect immediately.

2021-S7642 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7642
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 5, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  STEC  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish-
   ment of special districts for general ambulance  services  within  the
   Adirondack  park;  and  to  amend  the executive law, in relation to a
   report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraphs  (d),  (e) and (f) of subdivision 1 of section
 122-b of the general municipal law, as amended by  chapter  303  of  the
 laws  of  1980, are amended and a new closing paragraph is added to read
 as follows:
   (d) ESTABLISH A SPECIAL DISTRICT FOR THE FINANCING  AND  OPERATION  OF
 GENERAL  AMBULANCE  SERVICES  AS  SET FORTH BY THIS SECTION, WHEREBY ANY
 COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE, EITHER WHOLLY  OR  PARTIALLY  WITHIN  THE
 ADIRONDACK  PARK, ACTING INDIVIDUALLY, OR JOINTLY WITH ANY OTHER COUNTY,
 CITY, TOWN AND/OR VILLAGE, EITHER WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY WITHIN THE ADIRON-
 DACK PARK, THROUGH ITS GOVERNING BODY OR  BODIES,  FOLLOWING  APPLICABLE
 PROCEDURES  AS  ARE  REQUIRED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FIRE DISTRICTS IN
 ARTICLE ELEVEN OF THE TOWN LAW OR FOLLOWING APPLICABLE PROCEDURES AS ARE
 REQUIRED FOR THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  JOINT  FIRE  DISTRICTS  IN  ARTICLE
 ELEVEN-A OF THE TOWN LAW, WITH SUCH SPECIAL DISTRICT BEING AUTHORIZED BY
 THIS  SECTION  TO  BE ESTABLISHED IN ALL OR ANY PART OF ANY SUCH PARTIC-
 IPATING COUNTY OR COUNTIES, TOWN OR TOWNS, CITY OR CITIES AND/OR VILLAGE
 OR VILLAGES;
   (E) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
 (b) [or], (c) OR (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION;
   [(e)] (F) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
 of this section for the services of an emergency rescue  and  first  aid
 squad  of  a  fire  department  or  fire company which is subject to the
 provisions of section two hundred nine-b of [the general municipal  law]
 THIS CHAPTER;
   [(f)]  (G)  Consider  prehospital  emergency  treatment  as  that care
 provided  by  certified  emergency  medical  technicians  or   certified
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD13989-01-1
 S. 7642                             2
 
 advanced   emergency  medical  technicians  certified  pursuant  to  the
 provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
   ANY COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE WHICH ESTABLISHES OR PARTICIPATES IN
 A  JOINT  DISTRICT  PURSUANT  TO PARAGRAPH (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL
 DISSOLVE AND ABOLISH ANY PREEXISTING LOCAL  DISTRICT  SERVING  THE  SAME
 JURISDICTION.
   §  2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 719 to read
 as follows:
   § 719. REPORT ON VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND AMBULANCE  SERVICES  STAFF-
 ING.  1.  ON  OR  BEFORE  THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-
 THREE, THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE STATE OFFICE  OF  FIRE
 PREVENTION AND CONTROL, SHALL PREPARE AND PUBLISH A REPORT ON THE STAFF-
 ING  OF  VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND AMBULANCE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE.
 SUCH REPORT  SHALL  EXAMINE  AND  EVALUATE  THE  CHALLENGES  AND  ISSUES
 CONCERNING THE RECRUITING AND MAINTENANCE OF TRAINED, AVAILABLE STAFFING
 BY  VOLUNTEER  FIRE  DEPARTMENTS, DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES AS WELL AS FOR
 VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES. SUCH REPORT  SHALL  SPECIF-
 ICALLY  EXAMINE  AND EVALUATE THE CHALLENGES AND ISSUES THAT ARE PARTIC-
 ULAR TO RURAL AREAS OF THE STATE AND AREAS  WITH  GEOGRAPHIC  CHALLENGES
 SUCH AS MOUNTAINS, WATERWAYS OR LIMITED TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS.
   2.  IN  ADDITION  TO  IDENTIFYING CHALLENGES AND ISSUES CONCERNING THE
 RECRUITING AND MAINTENANCE OF TRAINED, AVAILABLE STAFFING  BY  VOLUNTEER
 FIRE DEPARTMENTS, DISTRICTS AND COMPANIES AS WELL AS FOR VOLUNTEER AMBU-
 LANCE  DISTRICTS  AND  COMPANIES  ACROSS  NEW YORK STATE, AS REQUIRED BY
 SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, SUCH REPORT SHALL ALSO MAKE RECOMMENDA-
 TIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS AND REMEDIATE THE CHALLENGES AND ISSUES  IDENTI-
 FIED,  WITH  SUCH  RECOMMENDATIONS  BEING SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR, THE
 TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY,  THE
 CHAIR OF THE SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE CHAIR
 OF  THE  ASSEMBLY  STANDING COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AT THE TIME OF
 THE PUBLISHING OF THE REPORT.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

co-Sponsors

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §122-b, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S3068

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the establishment of special districts for general ambulance services in any county, city, town or village located within the Adirondack park.

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7642A

SPONSOR: STEC
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish-
ment of special districts for general ambulance services within the
Adirondack park

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would authorize municipalities within the Adirondack park to
establish a special district for general ambulance services, and would
require a report by the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Securi-
ty and Emergency Services to identify challenges concerning volunteer
emergency services or personnel.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1-This bill would allow any county, city, town or village within
the Adirondack park to establish a special district for the financing
and operation of general ambulance services.

Section 2 - This bill would also require a report with recommendations
on volunteer firefighter and ambulances services by the commissioner of
the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Section 3 -Provides effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Article 11 of the Town Law governs the requirements to form a fire
district. Presently, a town board or village board of trustees may
establish a joint fire district, when the territory in the joint fire
district is contiguous. However, for a town to establish a new fire
district, it must be outside of any village or city. This restriction
creates difficulty for districts in rural communities or those with
unique geography such as waterways or mountains, as transportation
networks can be limited and response times unavoidably delayed. This
difficulty has led to difficulty obtaining volunteer crews, as each
individual crew member can be required to cover more territory and put
in more hours than in other areas of the state.

According to the New York State Department of Health, a 2013 analysis
showed that the average scene to destination time throughout New York
State was 13.16 minutes. However, in the Adirondack mountain region, for
instance, it was significantly higher in many areas, with the average
scene to destination time in Clinton County being 17.77 minutes, Essex
County 25.55 minutes, Franklin County 18.32 minutes, Hamilton County
53.46 minutes, and Warren County 21.59 minutes. These delayed response
times pose a great threat to saving lives, protecting property and
encouraging the recruitment and retention of volunteers.

This bill seeks to address this issue in two ways. First, it would allow
a municipality to establish a special district with any county, city,
town, or village, thereby allowing communities to establish districts
with economies of scale and participants, in an effort to increase the
quality of emergency protection services.

Second, it would further require a study by the Division of Homeland

Security and Emergency Services, calling upon its experts in the state
office of fire prevention and control, to investigate, report and make
recommendations on how to encourage recruitment of crews and improved
response times for their operations.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect immediately.

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7642--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 5, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  STEC,  OBERACKER, ORTT, TEDISCO -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Local  Government  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish-
   ment of special districts for general ambulance  services  within  the
   Adirondack park
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of  subdivision  1  of  section
 122-b  of  the  general  municipal law, as amended by chapter 303 of the
 laws of 1980, are amended and a new closing paragraph is added  to  read
 as follows:
   (d)  ESTABLISH  A  SPECIAL DISTRICT FOR THE FINANCING AND OPERATION OF
 GENERAL AMBULANCE SERVICES AS SET FORTH BY  THIS  SECTION,  WHEREBY  ANY
 COUNTY,  CITY,  TOWN  OR  VILLAGE, EITHER WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY WITHIN THE
 ADIRONDACK PARK, ACTING INDIVIDUALLY, OR JOINTLY WITH ANY OTHER  COUNTY,
 CITY, TOWN AND/OR VILLAGE, EITHER WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY WITHIN THE ADIRON-
 DACK  PARK,  THROUGH  ITS GOVERNING BODY OR BODIES, FOLLOWING APPLICABLE
 PROCEDURES AS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF  FIRE  DISTRICTS  IN
 ARTICLE ELEVEN OF THE TOWN LAW OR FOLLOWING APPLICABLE PROCEDURES AS ARE
 REQUIRED  FOR  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  JOINT  FIRE  DISTRICTS IN ARTICLE
 ELEVEN-A OF THE TOWN LAW, WITH SUCH SPECIAL DISTRICT BEING AUTHORIZED BY
 THIS SECTION TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ALL OR ANY PART OF  ANY  SUCH  PARTIC-
 IPATING COUNTY OR COUNTIES, TOWN OR TOWNS, CITY OR CITIES AND/OR VILLAGE
 OR VILLAGES;
   (E) Employ any combination of the methods authorized in paragraph (a),
 (b) [or], (c) OR (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION;
   [(e)] (F) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
 of  this  section  for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid
 squad of a fire department or fire  company  which  is  subject  to  the
 provisions  of section two hundred nine-b of [the general municipal law]
 THIS CHAPTER;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13989-04-2

 S. 7642--A                          2
 
   [(f)] (G)  Consider  prehospital  emergency  treatment  as  that  care
 provided   by  certified  emergency  medical  technicians  or  certified
 advanced  emergency  medical  technicians  certified  pursuant  to   the
 provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
   ANY COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR VILLAGE WHICH ESTABLISHES OR PARTICIPATES IN
 A  JOINT  DISTRICT  PURSUANT  TO PARAGRAPH (D) OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL
 DISSOLVE AND ABOLISH ANY PREEXISTING LOCAL  DISTRICT  SERVING  THE  SAME
 JURISDICTION.
   §  2.  Paragraph  (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the general
 municipal law, as amended by section 2 of part KK of chapter 55  of  the
 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   [(e)] (F) A contract may be entered into pursuant to the provisions of
 this section for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid squad
 of  a fire department or fire company which is subject to the provisions
 of section two hundred nine-b of this chapter;
   § 3. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of section 122-b  of  the  general
 municipal law, as amended by chapter 303 of the laws of 1980, is amended
 to read as follows:
   [(e)] (F) No contract shall be entered into pursuant to the provisions
 of  this  section  for the services of an emergency rescue and first aid
 squad of a fire department or fire  company  which  is  subject  to  the
 provisions  of section two hundred nine-b of [the general municipal law]
 THIS CHAPTER;
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately, provided,  however,  that
 section  two  of  this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
 same manner as section 2 of part KK of chapter 55 of the  laws  of  2022
 takes  effect; and provided further that the amendments to paragraph (e)
 of subdivision 1 of section 122-b of the general municipal law  made  by
 section two of this act shall be subject to the expiration and reversion
 of  such paragraph pursuant to section 4 of part KK of chapter 55 of the
 laws of 2022, when upon such date the provisions  of  section  three  of
 this act shall take effect.

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Senate Bill S7642A

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2021-S7642 - Details

2021-S7642 - Summary

2021-S7642 - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7642 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7642A

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Daniel G. Stec

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

Peter Oberacker

Robert G. Ortt

James Tedisco

2021-S7642 - Details

2021-S7642 - Summary

2021-S7642 - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7642 - Bill Text download pdf

co-Sponsors

Peter Oberacker

Robert G. Ortt

James Tedisco

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Details

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S7642A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments