BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Bill No: AB
398
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Roderick D. Wright, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
Bill Analysis
AB 398 Author: Morrell
As Introduced: February 14, 2011
Hearing Date: June 28, 2011
Consultant: Paul Donahue
SUBJECT : State Fire Marshal: Certification
SUMMARY : Authorizes the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to accept
certification by the United States Department of Defense as
a firefighter, as an alternative to the 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) Under existing law, the Training Regulations of the SFM
establish minimum standards for statewide training and
certification systems for the California fire service.
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.
AB 398 (Morrell) continued
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5) Requires the SFM to contract with the California Fire
Fighter 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.
This bill : Authorizes the State Fire Marshal to accept
certification by the United States Department of Defense as
a firefighter as an alternative for the fire protection
personnel training and certification standards for the
position of Firefighter I established by the State Fire
Marshal.
COMMENTS :
1) 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."
2) California Fire Service Training and Education Program :
The California Fire Service Training 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
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California State Fire Marshal's certificate of completion
to the student.
3) 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.
4) 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
commission-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; 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.
5) Support : Writing in support of AB 398, the California
Professional Firefighters (CPF), states 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 state 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.
6) Related legislation :
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SB 156 (Soto) Chapter 803 of 2006 requires 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 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, 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.
SUPPORT:
California Professional Firefighters
Regional Council of Rural Counties
OPPOSE:
None on File
FISCAL COMMITTEE: Senate Appropriations Committee
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