Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 872
       
       
        
       By Senator Burgess
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01327-26                                            2026872__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Division of State Fire Marshal;
    3         amending s. 633.408, F.S.; requiring the Division of
    4         State Fire Marshal to accept requirements for training
    5         and certification of firefighters from another
    6         jurisdiction under certain circumstances; requiring
    7         the division to make a specified finding before
    8         denying a firefighter certificate; defining the term
    9         “basis certificate”; amending ss. 633.508 and 633.520,
   10         F.S.; requiring the division to adopt certain rules
   11         relating to contaminated personal protective equipment
   12         and firefighting gear; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 633.408, Florida
   17  Statutes, is amended, and subsection (10) is added to that
   18  section, to read:
   19         633.408 Firefighter and volunteer firefighter training and
   20  certification.—
   21         (2) Except as provided in subsection (10), courses under
   22  subsection (1) may only be administered by education or training
   23  providers approved by the division pursuant to s. 633.128(1)(c)
   24  and taught by instructors certified pursuant to s.
   25  633.128(1)(d).
   26         (10) If the division determines that another state’s
   27  training and certification requirements or examinations are
   28  substantially equivalent or more stringent than those required
   29  under this chapter, the division must accept such substantially
   30  similar training and certification for certification in this
   31  state. Before the division may deny a certificate under this
   32  section, the division must make a finding that the basis
   33  certificate in another jurisdiction is substantially equivalent
   34  to or is otherwise insufficient for certification in this state.
   35  As used in this subsection, the term “basis certificate” means
   36  the certificate or training requirements of another jurisdiction
   37  which are used to meet the requirements for certification in
   38  this state.
   39         Section 2. Present paragraph (c) of subsection (7) of
   40  section 633.508, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
   41  (d), and a new paragraph (c) is added to that subsection, to
   42  read:
   43         633.508 Workplace safety; rulemaking authority; division
   44  authority.—
   45         (7) The division shall adopt rules relating to all of the
   46  following:
   47         (c) Prohibiting firefighter employers from requiring that
   48  their firefighter employees take their personal protective
   49  equipment or firefighting gear home if such equipment or gear is
   50  contaminated.
   51         Section 3. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (2) of
   52  section 633.520, Florida Statutes, to read:
   53         633.520 Safety; firefighter employer responsibilities.—
   54         (2) The division shall adopt rules to establish:
   55         (c) Employers’ best practices related to contaminated
   56  personal protective equipment or firefighting gear.
   57         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.