Bill > S3428

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs to adopt Coast Guard approved basic, advanced, and in-service marine firefighting training courses for land-based firefighters. Under the bill, every firefighter in the State, paid and volunteer, engaged in fire suppression in a municipality within a coastal zone would be required to complete the basic, advanced, and in-service training courses. The bill provides that recruit firefighter training programs would be required to include the basic marine firefighting training course. Under the bill, a firefighter who completed a recruit firefighting training program prior to the bill's effective date would be required to complete the basic marine firefighting training course within one year. The bill provides that all firefighters would be required to complete the advanced marine firefighting training course within two years of completing the basic marine firefighting training course. Thereafter, firefighters would be required to complete in-service training every two years. Additionally, the bill requires the division to adopt a Coast Guard approved training course for qualification as an instructor of marine firefighting for land-based firefighters. A firefighter who has completed the basic and advanced training courses and is in compliance with the in-service training requirement established in the bill, or who otherwise has been certified by the division, would be eligible for marine firefighting instruction training. Upon completion of the training or other certification by the division, the bill provides that a firefighter would be qualified to provide the basic, advanced, in-service, and instruction training courses. The bill defines a coastal zone to mean a municipality included in the State's Coastal Management program, as part of its implementation of the "Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972," 16 U.S.C. s.1451 et seq.

Committee Categories

Teresa Ruiz (D)*,  Britnee Timberlake (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 06/10/2024)

Official Document