HIGH SCHOOL: FIREFIGHTER TRAINING S.B. 212:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 212 (as introduced 3-2-11)
Sponsor: Senator Roger Kahn, M.D.
Committee: Local Government and Elections
Date Completed: 3-22-11
CONTENT
The bill would create a new act to do the following:
-- Permit a fire department to establish a Boy Scout Explorer Post.
-- Permit a school district or other entity to affiliate with a fire department to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in firefighter training courses and the firefighter exam.
-- Allow a school board to apply for authorization to hire a noncertificated person to teach firefighter I and II courses.
Specifically, an organized fire department administering a firefighter I or II course and a firefighter examination could establish a Boy Scouts of America Explorer post within its department for individuals 16 or 17 years of age.
An affiliated organization that was not an organized fire department could affiliate with an organized fire department for the purpose of allowing 16- or 17-year-olds to participate in the firefighter I or II course and the firefighter examination. ("Affiliated organization" would mean a school district, organized fire department, or other entity.)
The board of a local or intermediate school district could apply to the State Board of Education under Section 1233b of the Revised School Code (described below) for a permit or annual authorization to engage a full- or part-time noncertificated, nonendorsed teacher to teach firefighter I or II courses and administer the exam.
The proposed act would not require the State Fire Marshal or the Office of Firefighter Training to pay or contribute any funds for the administration of the course or the examinations that were in addition to any exams or costs already imposed under the Firefighters Training Council Act. The fire department or the individual taking the course and exam would have to bear any additional costs.
(Section 1233b of the Revised School Code allows a school board to engage a noncertificated, nonendorsed teacher to teach a course in a specified subject, including math, chemistry, and robotics, or in another subject area determined by the State Board to be appropriate, in grades 9 through 12. As a rule, this applies only if the district cannot engage a certificated, endorsed teacher. A noncertificated, nonendorsed teacher must have a bachelor's degree and have a major or graduate degree in the field of specialization he or she will teach; if the teacher wishes to teach more than one year, he or she must have
passed a basic skills exam and, if one exists, a subject area exam in the field of specialization he or she will teach.)
Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no effect on State revenue or expenditure. The bill would have a minimal impact on local unit revenue and expenditures, and only to the extent that the cost of expanding training classes would increase costs and/or revenue. It is unknown how many fire departments and affiliated organizations would engage in activities allowed under the bill.
Fiscal Analyst: David Zin
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb212/1112