HF 1368

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public safety; establishing a board of 
  1.3             firefighters training standards; establishing a 
  1.4             firefighter training financial assistance program; 
  1.5             transferring the Minnesota state colleges and 
  1.6             universities fire information, resource, and education 
  1.7             center to the board; appropriating money; proposing 
  1.8             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 299F.
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [299F.90] [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [SCOPE.] For purposes of sections 299F.90 
  1.12  to 299F.92, the following terms have the meanings given them in 
  1.13  this section. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [BOARD.] "Board" means the board of firefighters 
  1.15  training standards established in section 299F.91. 
  1.16     Subd. 3.  [FIRE/EMS CENTER.] "FIRE/EMS center" means the 
  1.17  fire information, resource, and education center. 
  1.18     Subd. 4.  [FIREFIGHTER.] "Firefighter" means a volunteer, 
  1.19  paid on-call, part-time, or career firefighter trained in 
  1.20  accordance with standards established by the board and serving a 
  1.21  general population within a political subdivision of the state. 
  1.22     Subd. 5.  [INSTRUCTOR.] "Instructor" means a person deemed 
  1.23  qualified by the board to train firefighters. 
  1.24     Sec. 2.  [299F.91] [BOARD OF FIREFIGHTERS TRAINING 
  1.25  STANDARDS.] 
  1.26     Subdivision 1.  [COMPOSITION.] The board of firefighters 
  1.27  training standards consists of the following eight members: 
  2.1      (1) two members who must be representatives of the 
  2.2   Minnesota State Fire Department Association, appointed by the 
  2.3   governor; 
  2.4      (2) two members who must be representatives of the 
  2.5   Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, appointed by the 
  2.6   governor; 
  2.7      (3) two members who must be representatives of the 
  2.8   Minnesota Professional Firefighters Association, appointed by 
  2.9   the governor; 
  2.10     (4) the commissioner of public safety or the commissioner's 
  2.11  designee; and 
  2.12     (5) one public member appointed by the governor. 
  2.13     Subd. 2.  [TERMS; CHAIR; COMPENSATION.] Members serve 
  2.14  two-year terms, with appointments staggered so that the term of 
  2.15  one of the two members serving under subdivision 1, clauses (1) 
  2.16  to (3), expires each year.  No member may serve more than six 
  2.17  years.  The position of chair must rotate annually among members 
  2.18  appointed under subdivision 1, clauses (1) to (3).  The member 
  2.19  appointed under subdivision 1, clause (5), is entitled to 
  2.20  compensation in accordance with section 15.059, subdivision 3.  
  2.21  Other members serve without compensation. 
  2.22     Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The board shall: 
  2.23     (1) establish standards and procedures for qualifying 
  2.24  firefighter training programs; 
  2.25     (2) establish qualifications for instructors; 
  2.26     (3) establish and administer a training reimbursement in 
  2.27  accordance with section 299F.92; 
  2.28     (4) establish procedures for handling complaints and 
  2.29  standards for disqualification of instructors; and 
  2.30     (5) adopt rules necessary to carry out sections 299F.91 and 
  2.31  299F.92. 
  2.32     Sec. 3.  [299F.92] [TRAINING AND REIMBURSEMENT.] 
  2.33     Subdivision 1.  [REIMBURSEMENT.] Upon request of the fire 
  2.34  department of a political subdivision, the board shall reimburse 
  2.35  the political subdivision for part or all of the costs of 
  2.36  firefighter training based on the number of training hours 
  3.1   successfully completed in accordance with rules set by the 
  3.2   board.  The board shall determine the amount of reimbursement 
  3.3   for each hour of training.  Before reimbursing a political 
  3.4   subdivision, the board shall require verification of the costs 
  3.5   associated with the training and the number of training hours, 
  3.6   and shall determine that the training was conducted by a 
  3.7   qualified instructor and met the standards set by the board.  An 
  3.8   instructor must be deemed qualified by the board before offering 
  3.9   the training for which reimbursement is sought. 
  3.10     Subd. 2.  [LEVEL OF FIRE SERVICE.] To be eligible for 
  3.11  reimbursement under this section, the fire department of a 
  3.12  political subdivision shall determine the level of fire service 
  3.13  delivered within the jurisdiction and shall notify the board of 
  3.14  its determination.  The fire department shall notify the board 
  3.15  of any change in the determined level of service within 30 days 
  3.16  of the change. 
  3.17     Subd. 3.  [TRAINING LEVEL.] At a minimum, the reimbursement 
  3.18  program under this section must cover all training required by 
  3.19  state standards, including those prescribed in chapter 182, and 
  3.20  by the American National Standards Institute and other 
  3.21  recognized bodies to maintain the level determined under 
  3.22  subdivision 2. 
  3.23     Subd. 4.  [OSHA STANDARDS.] Board-approved training offered 
  3.24  by an instructor deemed qualified by the board must be accepted 
  3.25  as sufficient to meet Occupational Safety and Health Act 
  3.26  training standards under chapter 182 for the subject addressed 
  3.27  by the training. 
  3.28     Sec. 4.  [TRANSFER.] 
  3.29     The fire information, resource, and education center is 
  3.30  transferred from the board of trustees of the Minnesota state 
  3.31  colleges and universities to the board established by Minnesota 
  3.32  Statutes, section 299F.91.  Appropriations and personnel 
  3.33  associated with the center and appropriations directed to 
  3.34  firefighter training offered by the technical colleges are also 
  3.35  transferred.  Appropriations represented by the transferred 
  3.36  programs and staff must be determined in accordance with 
  4.1   Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.37, subdivision 3. 
  4.2      Sec. 5.  [INITIAL APPLICATIONS.] 
  4.3      The fire departments of political subdivisions may begin 
  4.4   applying for reimbursement under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  4.5   299F.92, subdivision 1, on or after August 1, 1998. 
  4.6      Sec. 6.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.7      $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the board 
  4.8   of firefighters training standards for the purpose of operating 
  4.9   the fire information, resource, and education center and 
  4.10  administering the reimbursement program under Minnesota 
  4.11  Statutes, section 299F.92. 
  4.12     Sec. 7.  [EFFECTIVE DATES.] 
  4.13     Section 2, subdivision 1, authorizing the appointment of 
  4.14  the board of firefighters training standards, is effective the 
  4.15  day following final enactment.  Section 2, subdivisions 2 and 3, 
  4.16  are effective upon appointment of the board or August 1, 1997, 
  4.17  whichever occurs first.  Sections 1 and 3 to 6 are effective 
  4.18  August 1, 1997.