BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 398
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 398 (Morrell)
As Amended July 12, 2011
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |75-0 |(May 12, 2011) |SENATE: |37-0 |(July 14, |
| | | | | |2011) |
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Original Committee Reference: G.O.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to accept
certification by the United States Department of Defense (DOD)
as a firefighter, as specified, as an alternative for the fire
protection personnel training and certification standards for
the position of Firefighter I established by SFM. Specifically,
this bill :
1) Authorizes the SFM to accept certification by the DOD 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)
if the DOD certification is accompanied by a national
certification or accreditation that has been approved by the SFM
and that is based on the International Fire Service
Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), Pro Board, or other accepted
third-party certification standard.
2) Provides if the DOD certification is not accompanied by a
national certification approved by the SFM, as described above,
the SFM shall follow the verification process as provided in
current law.
The Senate amendments :
1) Clarify the process that the SFM may accept certification by
the DOD as a firefighter as an alternative for the basic SFM
training and certification standards for the position of
Firefighter I of the CFSTEP, as defined.
2) Add a co-author.
EXISTING LAW :
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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
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.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill authorized the SFM to
accept certification by the DOD as a firefighter as an
alternative for basic SFM training and certification standards
for the position of Firefighter I of the CFSTEP.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS : This bill, as amended in the Senate is consistent
with Assembly actions.
Purpose of the bill : According to the author, "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."
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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
firefighters 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.
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:
1) 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, 2) 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.
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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
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: 0001720
AB 398
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