| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to firefighting training; creating s. |
| 3 | 633.381, F.S.; directing the Division of State Fire |
| 4 | Marshal of the Department of Financial Services to |
| 5 | establish a free firefighter training program; providing |
| 6 | for eligibility for training under the program; specifying |
| 7 | criteria for training courses; requiring the division to |
| 8 | consult with the Firefighters Employment, Standards, and |
| 9 | Training Council and the division's Bureau of Fire |
| 10 | Standards and Training to develop the training courses; |
| 11 | providing for reports, audits, and notice concerning the |
| 12 | training program; authorizing rulemaking by the division; |
| 13 | providing for distribution of funds by the division to |
| 14 | certified training centers; providing for administration |
| 15 | of such funds by an advisory committee composed of certain |
| 16 | persons appointed by the council; authorizing use of |
| 17 | moneys from the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund; providing |
| 18 | an appropriation; providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Section 633.381, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 23 | to read: |
| 24 | 633.381 Free training for professional and volunteer |
| 25 | firefighters.-- |
| 26 | (1)(a) The division, in consultation with the council, |
| 27 | shall establish a program to provide free training to |
| 28 | professional and volunteer firefighters who work for an |
| 29 | employing agency. A firefighter who works for an employing |
| 30 | agency, for pay or as a volunteer, is eligible for advanced and |
| 31 | specialized training under this section if the training |
| 32 | increases the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the |
| 33 | firefighter. However, this training does not include basic |
| 34 | training which is required for certification under s. 633.35. A |
| 35 | firefighter is eligible under this section for the basic |
| 36 | firefighter training required for certification under s. 633.35 |
| 37 | if the firefighter is an active volunteer with an employing |
| 38 | agency and enters into a binding agreement to remain with the |
| 39 | employing agency for at least 2 years after completing training. |
| 40 | If the firefighter departs before the expiration of the 2-year |
| 41 | period, he or she shall reimburse the council for the full cost |
| 42 | of the training. |
| 43 | (b) Each training course offered under the program shall |
| 44 | be of at least 4 hours' duration, shall be taught by an |
| 45 | instructor who is certified by the division's Bureau of Fire |
| 46 | Standards and Training, and shall be provided under the auspices |
| 47 | of a training center that is certified by the bureau. |
| 48 | (c) The training courses offered under the program shall |
| 49 | be developed in consultation with the bureau. |
| 50 | (d) Each course provided under the program shall be |
| 51 | audited each year and a report of the audit shall be furnished |
| 52 | to the bureau and to the Firefighters Safety and Health Task |
| 53 | Force. |
| 54 | (e) The division shall regularly provide notice of the |
| 55 | free training provided under the program to each employing |
| 56 | agency and state-certified firefighting training facility. |
| 57 | (f) Each training facility offering a training course |
| 58 | under the program shall provide the division with a semiannual |
| 59 | and year-end fiscal report. |
| 60 | (2) The division may adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and |
| 61 | 120.54 to administer this section. |
| 62 | (3) The council shall appoint an administrative committee |
| 63 | for each training center that is certified by the division's |
| 64 | Bureau of Fire Standards and Training. The committee shall |
| 65 | consist of the director of the center and the fire chief of each |
| 66 | locality served by the center. The division shall distribute the |
| 67 | funds it receives to administer this section to each center on a |
| 68 | per capita basis according to the number of volunteer and |
| 69 | professional firefighters in the locality served by each |
| 70 | certified training center. The administrative committee of each |
| 71 | center shall administer the funds that are distributed to the |
| 72 | center to administer this section in the manner that best |
| 73 | provides for the training needs of the firefighters served by |
| 74 | the center. |
| 75 | (4) Moneys from the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund may be |
| 76 | used to carry out the provisions of this section. |
| 77 | Section 2. The sum of $15 million is appropriated from the |
| 78 | General Revenue Fund to the Division of State Fire Marshal in |
| 79 | the Department of Financial Services for the purpose of carrying |
| 80 | out the provisions of this act during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. |
| 81 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |