HB 0945

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to firefighter training certification;
3	amending s. 633.35, F.S.; providing for issuance of a
4	certificate of compliance of firefighter training by the
5	Division of State Fire Marshal to a person who holds a
6	federal firefighter certification; defining the term
7	"federal firefighter certification"; amending s. 590.02,
8	F.S., to conform; providing an effective date.
9
10	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12	Section 1.  Subsections (4), (5), and (6) of section
13	633.35, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5),
14	(6), and (7), respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to
15	said section, to read:
16	633.35  Firefighter training and certification.--
17	(4)  The division shall issue a certificate to a person who
18	has received a federal firefighter certification when the
19	division has determined that the certification standards used by
20	the United States Department of Defense to provide that
21	certification to such person are at least equivalent to those
22	required by the division for approved firefighter education and
23	training programs in this state and when such person has
24	satisfactorily complied with the other requirements of this
25	chapter. As used in this subsection, the term "federal
26	firefighter certification" means a certification issued by the
27	United States Department of Defense to a person who has
28	successfully completed the required courses and examinations of
29	the Military Fire Academy of the United States Department of
30	Defense which is located in San Angelo, Texas. Before issuing a
31	certificate under this subsection, the division must receive
32	written verification from the United States Department of
33	Defense confirming that such person has a federal firefighter
34	certification that is currently valid and is in good standing
35	with that department.
36	Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 590.02, Florida
37	Statutes, is amended to read:
38	590.02  Division powers, authority, and duties; liability;
39	building structures; Florida Center for Wildfire and Forest
40	Resources Management Training.--
41	(1)  The division has the following powers, authority, and
42	duties:
43	(a)  To enforce the provisions of this chapter;
44	(b)  To prevent, detect, suppress, and extinguish wildfires
45	wherever they may occur on public or private land in this state
46	and to do all things necessary in the exercise of such powers,
47	authority, and duties;
48	(c)  To provide firefighting crews, who shall be under the
49	control and direction of the division and its designated agents;
50	(d)  To appoint center managers, forest area supervisors,
51	forestry program administrators, a forest protection bureau
52	chief, a forest protection assistant bureau chief, a field
53	operations bureau chief, deputy chiefs of field operations,
54	district managers, senior forest rangers, investigators, forest
55	rangers, firefighter rotorcraft pilots, and other employees who
56	may, at the division's discretion, be certified as forestry
57	firefighters pursuant to s. 633.35 s. 633.35(4). Other
58	provisions of law notwithstanding, center managers, district
59	managers, forest protection assistant bureau chief, and deputy
60	chiefs of field operations shall have Selected Exempt Service
61	status in the state personnel designation;
62	(e)  To develop a training curriculum for forestry
63	firefighters which must contain the basic volunteer structural
64	fire training course approved by the Florida State Fire College
65	of the Division of State Fire Marshal and a minimum of 250 hours
66	of wildfire training;
67	(f)  To make rules to accomplish the purposes of this
68	chapter;
69	(g)  To provide fire management services and emergency
70	response assistance and to set and charge reasonable fees for
71	performance of those services. Moneys collected from such fees
72	shall be deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund of the
73	division; and
74	(h)  To require all state, regional, and local government
75	agencies operating aircraft in the vicinity of an ongoing
76	wildfire to operate in compliance with the applicable state
77	Wildfire Aviation Plan.
78	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.