A 942: Establishes a fire prevention and emergency task force to develop a plan for training requirements and standards for fire prevention and emergency response services in rural areas and to examine the necessity of having uniform standards across the state.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 942 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ANGELINO, BENDETT, DeSTEFANO, LEMONDES, McDO- NOUGH, MILLER, MORINELLO, TAGUE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to create a fire protection and emergency response task force in rural areas The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. 1. There is hereby established a statewide fire protection 2 and emergency response task force comprised of eight members who shall 3 develop a plan focusing on the standards and training requirements 4 necessary to effectuate fire protection and emergency response services 5 in rural areas throughout the state of New York. Appointments to the 6 task force shall be made as follows: two by the governor; two by the 7 speaker of the assembly; two by the temporary president of the senate; 8 one by the minority leader of the senate; and one by the minority leader 9 of the assembly. The appointments of the governor shall be a member, 10 officer or employee of the Fireman's Association of the State of New 11 York and the state fire administrator of the office of fire prevention 12 and control or their designee. 13 2. The task force shall examine current regulations and establish a 14 set of standards that are applicable only in rural areas as defined in 15 this subdivision. These standards shall be aimed at being less burden- 16 some for rural areas than the current regulations are and shall be 17 designed to encourage citizens to volunteer their services. The task 18 force shall also examine the necessity of having uniform standards 19 across the state. The task force shall issue a report within ten months 20 after the effective date of this section and shall make recommendations 21 to the legislature regarding any suggested changes in the law or to 22 existing regulations. For purposes of this section, "rural areas" means 23 counties within the state having a population of less than two hundred EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02654-01-5 
 A. 942 2 1 thousand, and the municipalities, individuals, institutions, communi- 2 ties, programs and such other entities or resources as are found there- 3 in. In counties with a population of two hundred thousand or greater, 4 "rural areas" means towns with population densities of one hundred fifty 5 persons or less per square mile, and the villages, individuals, insti- 6 tutions, communities, programs and such other entities or resources as 7 are found therein. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.