What's happening
This bill allows local governments to create special districts for ambulance services and requires a report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance staffing challenges.
Why it matters
Empowers local governments to create dedicated ambulance service districts. , potentially improving funding, management, and stability for emergency medical response, especially in areas where coverage is inconsistent or under-resourced.
Allows municipalities to collaborate across county, city, town, or village lines. in establishing and managing these ambulance districts, which could lead to more efficient regional services and resource sharing, particularly benefiting rural or geographically challenged communities.
Mandates a comprehensive state report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance staffing. , which will analyze recruitment and retention challenges, with a focus on rural and hard-to-reach areas, informing future policy and funding decisions based on identified needs.
Requires actionable recommendations as part of the staffing report. , increasing the likelihood that identified problems with emergency volunteer staffing will lead to legislative or administrative solutions, rather than just documentation of the issue.
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Support Volunteer Ambulance and Fire
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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History
- Referred to local government
- Referred to local government
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.
Support Volunteer EMS, Firefighters
In Assembly Committee · Local Governments · Sponsor Billy Jones
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1996
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 18, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LITTLE -- 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 establishment of special districts for general ambulance services; 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 Assembly, 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 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, acting individually, or jointly with any other county, city, town and/or village, 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 participating 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);
[(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.
LBD03140-01-9
S. 1996 2
advanced emergency medical technicians certified pursuant to the provisions of article thirty of the public health law.
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 719 to read as follows:
§ 719. Report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing. 1. On or before the first day of January two thousand twenty, the commissioner, in consultation with the state office of fire prevention and control, shall prepare and publish a report on the staffing 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 specifically examine and evaluate the challenges and issues that are particular 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 ambulance districts and companies across New York state, as required by subdivision one of this section, such report shall also make recommendations on how to address and remediate the challenges and issues identified, 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.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to the establish- ment of special districts for general ambulance services; and to amend the executive law, in relation to a report on volunteer firefighter and ambulance services staffing
Purpose
This bill would authorize municipalities to establish a special district for general ambulance services, and would require a report by the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to identify challenges concerning volunteer emergency services or personnel.
Summary of provisions
This bill would allow any county, city, town or village, to establish a special district for the financing and operation of general ambulance services. 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.
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 economy 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
2017-18: S.7443/A.9589: Referred Local Governments; Referred Local Governments
Fiscal implications
None noted.
Effective date
This act would take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.