Bill > S3930

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs (commissioner) to develop a Fire Station Rehabilitation and Maintenance Code specifically designed to provide a safe building and structure, and sanitary environment, for this State's firefighters, fire departments, and their staff, who have been, or may become, exposed to hazardous substances during the performance of their duties outside of the fire station, or second hand, and who can significantly benefit through the provision of certain safety measures, fire station modifications, installation of certain air purification systems, and other health and safety related precautions and requirements. The bill requires the Fire Station Rehabilitation and Maintenance Code to include, but not be limited to, rules to require: (1) annual testing for asbestos or asbestos-containing material, mold, lead, and other harmful substances that can adversely affect the health of firefighters or fire department staff, and testing every six months for these substances for fire stations built prior to 1978; (2) the remediation of the harmful substances, if located in the fire station or as part of the building or structure; (3) the modification or rehabilitation of an existing fire station, or installation within a new fire station, to include a HVAC system that contains a carbon air filter and HEPA purification system; and (4) the inclusion of a steam room in all fire stations subject to the provisions of the bill. The bill also requires that paid and part-paid fire departments that serve populations greater than 300,000 retire and replace fire trucks every 10 to 15 years, as needed, perform necessary safety equipment-related maintenance, and replace and upgrade other necessary safety equipment, pursuant to criteria specified by the commissioner, for which the bill requires the commissioner to reimburse fire departments in an amount not to exceed $10 million for the costs of replacing an entire fleet every 15 years, and for other necessary costs. The bill further requires the commissioner, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs, to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature, containing a study assessing the financial need for fire departments within municipalities that serve populations of less than 300,000. . The bill establishes the Fire Station Rehabilitation and Maintenance Fund (rehabilitation fund), which is to be administered by the commissioner and located in the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to provide grants and loans, including forgivable loans, to paid and part-paid fire departments, as defined in the bill. The bill appropriates to the rehabilitation fund $110 million from the General Fund, and requires that $10 million from moneys appropriated for Firefighter Safety Grants from the federal "Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund," established pursuant to the federal "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021," Pub.L.117-2, be deposited into the rehabilitation fund. The bill permits the State Treasurer to reallocate, as requested by the commissioner, such unexpended moneys as may be available from prior appropriations of moneys from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund to the rehabilitation fund, subject to the approval of the Director the Division of Budget and Accounting. The $110 million appropriation and $10 million deposit from moneys appropriated for Firefighter Safety Grants, is required by the bill to be allocated among the paid and part-paid fire departments in this State that serve populations greater than or equal to 300,000. Further, the bill requires that any monetary contribution by a nonprofit organization or an individual, including interest or other income earned on such monetary contributions, which is made available to the commissioner to support the provisions of the bill, is to be deposited in the rehabilitation fund. The bill also establishes a nonlapsing fund to be known as the Fire Equipment Replacement Fund (replacement fund) in the Division of Fire Safety in DCA to provide grants to applicant fire departments that serve populations greater than 300,000 and that seek reimbursement for the costs of replacing fire trucks every 10 to 15 years, performing necessary safety equipment-related maintenance, and replacing and upgrading other necessary safety equipment. The bill appropriates $30 million to the replacement fund, and provides that the replacement fund may also be credited with moneys available to the Department of Community Affairs for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of the bill concerning the replacement of fire trucks and other necessary safety equipment upgrades or maintenance. Further, a municipality or fire district that is required to comply with the provisions of the bill is permitted to impose a surcharge on all fire inspection fees for inspections conducted in the municipality, in an amount deemed necessary for the fire station to attain and maintain compliance with the bill. The bill requires the commissioner to consult with the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in DCA, the Director of the Division of Codes and Standards in DCA, the Commissioner of Human Services, and the Commissioner of Health, in adopting rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to implement the provisions of the bill. Lastly, the bill would take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment, except that the commissioner would be permitted to take anticipatory action necessary to effectuate the bill.

AI Summary

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Britnee Timberlake (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 12/09/2024)

Official Document