What's happening
This bill requires more detailed annual reporting on firefighter training, including individual and departmental data, and public posting online.
Why it matters
Enables more precise tracking of firefighter training. by requiring reports to include the number of hours allocated to each individual firefighter, not just county-level data—making it easier to identify gaps or disparities in training.
Increases transparency and accountability. by mandating public online posting of the annual firefighter training report, allowing communities and watchdog groups to review and compare departmental performance.
Improves understanding of firefighter readiness. by listing which firefighters are qualified for interior (higher-risk) firefighting, helping local leaders and the public assess departmental capabilities and safety.
Provides detailed insight into how resources are distributed and used. by specifying the reporting of which department or district provided training, the type of training, and the hours involved—potentially highlighting under- or over-resourced areas.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Require Fire Training Reports Online
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to finance
- Referred to finance
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.
Report Firefighter Training Data
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6235
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AKSHAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to reporting by the office of fire prevention and control
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 17 of section 156 of the executive law, as added by chapter 615 of the laws of 2006, 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, [and] the number of hours used by each county on a county-bycounty 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 March first of each year.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11400-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
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.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.