BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 398
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 398 (Morrell)
As Introduced February 14, 2011
Majority vote
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION 16-0APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Hall, Nestande, Atkins, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Block, Blumenfield, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Chesbro, Cook, Valadao, | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| |Gatto, Hill, Bill | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| |Berryhill, Ma, Perea, V. | |Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| |Manuel Pérez, Silva, | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| |Torres | |Solorio, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Authorizes the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to accept
certification by the United States Department of Defense (DOD)
as a firefighter as an alternative for basic SFM training and
certification standards for the position of Firefighter I of the
California Fire Service Training and Education Program (CFSTEP).
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the SFM to establish recommended minimum standards
for fire protection personnel at all career levels.
2)Establishes minimum standards for statewide training and
certification systems for the California fire service, under
the Training Regulations of the SFM.
3)Allows a state agency or an agency of a political subdivision
within the state to elect to be subject to those standards or
to petition for an alternative to those training and
certification standards.
4)Provides the SFM shall jointly, with the California
Professional Firefighters, promote participation in, sponsor,
and administer the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship
Program as the pre-employment recruitment, selection, and
training system to be utilized for entry level firefighters.
5)Requires the SFM to contract with the California Fire Fighter
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Joint Apprenticeship Program (CFFJAP) for the development of
curriculum criteria based on recommendations made by the
Emergency Response Training Advisory Committee (ERTAC),
including training firefighters in their responsibilities as
first responders to terrorist incidents. This is contingent
upon the receipt of federal funds.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, costs of up to $75,000 for additional workload
associated with the SFM reviewing and evaluating the validity of
the training represented by the certificate to ensure that it
meets California's mandated requirements.
COMMENTS :
Purpose of the bill : According to the author's office,
"Military service members who have served the armed forces in
the area of fire protection have received extensive training
from the Department of Defense under the Fire and Emergency
Services Certification Program. These service men and women are
excellent candidates to serve as California fire protection
personnel. It is our intention to ease some of the burden to
those service members in their search for employment."
California Fire Service Training and Education Program : The
California Fire Service Training and Education Program, or
CFSTEP, is designed to provide both volunteer and career fire
fighters with hands-on training in firefighting, extrication,
rescue, emergency vehicle operations, pump operations, and the
Incident Command System. The program was created to establish
coordination among the various elements that contribute to the
development, delivery, and administration of training for the
California fire service, as a whole. The objective of the
program is to provide a single statewide focus for fire service
training in California.
The 650-hour course is delivered through registered instructors
and may be custom tailored by the instructor to meet a
department's specific needs. Upon successful completion of a
course, the instructor will issue a California State Fire
Marshal's certificate of completion to the student.
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Military Training : All military bases maintain their own fire
protective services unit. In the military, the firefighter
training course is generally 13 weeks of specialized training.
During the specialized training, recruits spend time in both the
classroom and the field, learning to put out fires. They learn
the different types of fires, what equipment to employ and how
to use it. Firefighters are taught first aid and rescue
procedures. Military firefighters share reciprocity with the
IFSAC (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress). Navy
firefighters are responsible for firefighting, equipment repair,
onboard damage control, emergency medicine and first aid, and
preventive care.
Texas Reciprocity : Individuals who have received out-of-state
or military training may be eligible to have their training
deemed equivalent in order to complete the Texas Commission on
Fire Protection-designated skill evaluation process and
challenge the commission's examination for the applicable
certification discipline. There are two paths to qualification:
a) for those who do not hold IFSAC certification they may
submit their training to be reviewed by the Texas Commission on
Fire Protection staff; and, b) for persons transferring from a
non-IFSAC jurisdiction, the commission conducts a record review
for the purpose of determining equivalency to the appropriate
commission certification training program or to establish
eligibility to complete the evaluation process.
In support : Writing in support of this bill, the California
Professional Firefighters (CPF), states that this bill will aid
in creating a pathway for our nation's veterans to continue in
their chosen firefighting career when they are no longer active
military. California currently does not recognize out-of-state
or DOD-issued firefighter certifications as equivalent to SFM
standards, which are required for obtaining Firefighter I
certification in California. As such, we believe the SFM should
be allowed to pursue a reciprocal accreditation process through
an appropriate national fire service accreditation program that
does in fact recognize the DOD firefighter certification.
Prior Legislation : SB 156 (Soto), Chapter 803, Statutes of
2006, required SFM to contract with a program that is
co-sponsored by the SFM and the California Professional
Firefighters union to develop curriculum content criteria for
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fire service related first responder training for terrorism
incidents.
SB 1629 (Soto), Chapter 1050, Statutes of 2002, authorized the
Director of Finance to transfer moneys in the Federal Trust Fund
to the Department of Health Services (DHS), if the federal
government makes them available for the allocation of grants to
state and local agencies to defray the cost of providing
paramedic training for fire service personnel. This bill also
provides for the allocation of funds to the California Fire
Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Program for various costs,
including paramedic training course development and
instructional training expenses.
SB 1350 (McPherson), Chapter 612, Statutes of 2002, established
an emergency response training advisory committee comprised of
representatives from the public safety community to develop
terrorism-training standards for law enforcement personnel, fire
service personnel and emergency medical services personnel.
Every designated person under this bill may complete the
terrorism awareness training as prescribed by the advisory
committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Johnson / G. O. / (916) 319-2531
FN: 0000536