FIREFIGHTER CERTIFICATION: RECIPROCITY

Senate Bill 372 as passed by the Senate

Sponsor:  Sen. Dale W. Zorn

House Committee:  Workforce and Talent Development

Senate Committee:  Regulatory Reform

Complete to 10-28-15                                                            (Enacted as Public Act 203 of 2015)

SUMMARY:

Senate Bill 372 would amend Section 9 of the Firefighters Training Council Act by directing the State Fire Marshal to waive the examination requirements found in this section and to extend reciprocity certification to a firefighter from another state who seeks to work as a firefighter in Michigan.

This reciprocity would apply if a firefighter was certified in the other state after successfully completing a program that meets or exceeds the standards for Firefighter I and II found in the "Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications," National Fire Protection Association Standard No. 1001, by an international accreditation fire service organization. Upon presentation of evidence of certification, the individual would automatically become certified in Michigan.

The bill would rewrite a provision under which the Firefighters Training Council sends electronic training material to fire departments at their request.  The current language to be deleted requires the council to develop and provide upon the request of an organized fire department, at no charge, videotape, digital video disc, or other electronic form of video display to be used in training firefighters, and prohibits the video display from including training that requires a practical demonstration.

The bill would replace this provision by stating that upon request and at no charge, the council would provide an organized fire department with training material in an electronic format to be used in training firefighters, as proposed by the State Fire Marshal.   As now, the electronic training material would be based on the national standards for "Firefighter 1" and Firefighter 2."

Also removed is a provision which allows the council to impose a "reasonable fee" for the loss, damage, or late return of a video or other electronic form of video display provided to an organized fire department. The bill also would make several other technical changes.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill would have no fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (in which the Bureau of Fire Services is situated), but could have a minor, likely positive, fiscal impact on local units of government. According to information from the Senate Fiscal Agency, while it is unknown how many firefighters from other states would be granted reciprocity in Michigan under the bill, in those cases the employing fire department could realize savings related to training new hires. For reference, says the SFA, the Fire Fighter I and II group course offered through the Fire Fighter Training Council costs $13,275 and consists of 295 instructional hours. Since the course is a group course, the entire cost would not be saved if a single new hire had reciprocity, but rather the fire department could either not send anyone to the training (and possibly save its share of the fee if multiple fire departments were involved), or send another firefighter instead.

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Josh Roesner

                                                                                                Fiscal Analyst:   Paul B.A. Holland

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.