What's happening
This bill authorizes New York forest rangers to create a training and credentialing program for volunteer wild land search and rescue personnel.
Why it matters
Expanding search and rescue capacity. By formally training and credentialing volunteers, the bill increases the pool of capable responders available for wild land search and rescue missions, potentially improving response times and coverage during emergencies.
Standardizing volunteer qualifications. Creating an official training and credentialing process ensures that volunteers meet consistent standards, which can enhance safety for both searchers and those being rescued, and promote smoother coordination with professional forest rangers.
Supporting rural and remote communities. Many wild land incidents occur far from urban centers; empowering local volunteers with proper training could be especially impactful for communities that rely on timely search and rescue operations due to limited professional resources.
Clarifying roles and responsibilities. By giving forest rangers explicit authority to manage volunteer programs, the bill aims to streamline command structures during rescues, reduce confusion, and ensure that volunteers are effectively integrated into official search efforts.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Train Volunteer Rescue Teams
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to environmental conservation
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.
Train Volunteer Rescue Teams
In Assembly Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Billy Jones
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1943
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 17, 2019
Introduced by Sens. LITTLE, SEWARD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to authorizing the forest ranger force to establish a training program for volunteer wild land search and rescue personnel
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 18 of section 9-0105 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 617 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
18. a. Establish, operate and maintain a search and rescue program in fire towns and fire districts of the state. For the purposes of this section fire towns shall mean such towns provided for in section 9-1107 of this chapter and fire districts shall be deemed to be the fire protection areas provided for in section 9-1109 of this chapter and regulations promulgated pursuant to the authority of such sections. Pursuant to such program the forest ranger force of the department shall have the authority to organize, direct and execute search operations for lost persons or civilian aircraft and conduct rescue operations for persons injured or in serious danger of injury in the wild, remote and forested areas of fire towns and fire districts of the state; provided that, where criminal conduct is suspected or fugitive search is involved such search or rescue operations shall be conducted under the jurisdiction of the appropriate law enforcement agency. Search and rescue operations outside of fire towns and fire districts may be conducted by the forest ranger force upon request of the agency conducting such operation.
b. Pursuant to such program, the forest ranger force of the department shall have the authority to establish, direct and maintain a program for the purpose of training and credentialing volunteer, wild land search
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03143-01-9
S. 1943 2
and rescue personnel to assist and respond along with the forest ranger force to search for lost and missing persons in the wild, remote and forested areas of the state.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to authorizing the forest ranger force to establish a training program for volunteer wild land search and rescue personnel
Purpose
To authorize the DEC forest rangers to establish, direct and maintain a program for the purposes of training and credentialing volunteer, wild land search and rescue personnel.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 - Amends subdivision 18 of section 9-0105 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 617 of the laws of 1984 to add a new paragraph (b) to authorize the DEC forest rangers to establish, direct and maintain a program for the purpose of training and creden- tialing volunteer, wild land search and rescue personnel to assist and respond along with the forest ranger force to search for lost and miss- ing persons in the wild, remote and forest land areas of the state.
Section 2 - Contains the effective date
Existing law
Subdivision 18 of section 9-0105 of the environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 617 of the laws of 1984, relates to search and rescue programs established, operated and maintained by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Justification
This proposal would provide training and credentials for volunteer search and rescue groups so that these groups are encouraged to organize and participate in search and rescue operations. The participation of volunteer search and rescue groups will benefit the public by providing additional resources to respond in emergency situations where lost or missing persons are in need of assistance, the Training that is provided by the Department's forest rangers to these volunteer groups will help ensure that volunteer search and rescue efforts are conducted in a safe and effective manner. Well trained volunteer search and rescue groups are very important since the Department has limited resources and must conduct approximately 225 search and rescue efforts per year in wild remote and forested areas of the state.
Legislative history
2017-18: S.761/A.9756: Referred Environmental Conservation; Referred Environmental Conservation
2015-16: S.4563 - Passed Senate; A.3509 Referred to Environmental Conservation
2013-14: S.1365 - Passed in Senate; A. 7010 Referred to Environmental Conservation 2011-12: S.553 - Passed in Senate; A. 5016 Referred to Environmental Conservation
2009-10: S.3652 - Referred to Environmental Conservation; A. 8537 Referred to Environmental Conservation
Fiscal implications
To be determined
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.