What's happening
This bill sets new minimum qualifications for fire chief appointments in New York departments with five or more paid firefighters.
Why it matters
Raises professional standards for fire chiefs. by requiring specific educational, health, and physical fitness qualifications, as determined by the state fire administrator, for departments with five or more paid firefighters.
Mandates structured, state-approved training. , including completion of supervisory-level courses and certification (minimum Level 1 under 19 NYCRR 427.9), which could ensure more consistent leadership quality and operational expertise across departments.
Excludes only the largest cities (population 1 million or more). from these requirements, meaning most departments statewide will have to comply, potentially increasing uniformity in fire service leadership outside major metropolitan areas.
May impact recruitment and promotion pools. , requiring current and aspiring fire chiefs to meet new standards, which could affect internal advancement practices and the professional development priorities of fire departments.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Set Fire Chief Standards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
6 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Signed chap.406
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–1
- Ordered to third reading cal.2085
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Amended on third reading (t) 8057b
- Ordered to third reading cal.576
- Returned to assembly
- Died in senate
- Referred to rules
Show 9 earlier actions
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.417
- Rules report cal.417
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
- Print number 8057a
- Amend and recommit to governmental employees
- Referred to governmental employees
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Set Fire Chief Standards
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Fredrick J. Akshar II
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8057--B Cal. No. 576
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 25, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ABBATE, BRABENEC -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BYRNE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to the minimum qualifications to serve as a fire chief in any fire department, fire district or fire protection district that employs five or more paid firefighters
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 58-a of the civil service law, as amended by section 1 of part A of chapter 101 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
6. The provisions of this section shall not apply to appointments made by any county, city, town, village or fire district which employs [five or fewer] fewer than five fire fighters.
§ 2. Section 58-a of the civil service law is amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. Notwithstanding any other provision of this law or any general, special or local law to the contrary, no person shall be eligible for provisional or permanent appointment as a fire chief other than those chiefs employed by a fire department of cities with a population of one million or more unless he or she shall:
(a) satisfy the basic requirements for education, health and physical fitness established by the state fire administrator pursuant to section one hundred fifty-eight of the executive law; and
(b) has successfully completed training and education courses of minimum contact hour criteria approved by the state fire administrator and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11399-06-8
A. 8057--B 2
received certification for supervisory level 1 or higher pursuant to 19 NYCRR 427.9.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to any appointment as a fire chief established on or after such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.