Lead Sponsors: Senator Tim Schaffer
Status: Introduced (May 13, 2025)
Description: The bill makes several changes pertaining to volunteer firefighting services.
The amount of annual leave each calendar year that state employees who serve as a volunteer firefighter (or certain other public safety roles) is increased from 40 hours to 192 hours, provided that the hours are used to either provide EMS or firefighting services or attend training on EMS or firefighting.
Employers are prohibited from terminating employees who are absent from work to respond to an emergency or to attend training on EMS or firefighting. Employers are permitted to provide employees up to 120 hours per year for these purposes.
An additional enhanced property tax homestead exemption is created for volunteer firefighters who have served in that capacity for at least one year. The exemption is for $56,000 of true value, indexed to inflation. This is the same level as the existing enhanced exemption.
A two-year tuition waiver for approved higher education programs is created for volunteer firefighters. The waiver is only available for those who have served as a volunteer firefighter for at least five years or who sign a written agreement to do so.
The bill requires the State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services to establish alternative training programs for volunteer firefighters, and creates a fund to incentivize the formation of full-time EMS response by volunteer fire departments. Departments that receive funding from the fund must use the money to pay for the salaries of two full-time emergency medical technicians or paramedics.
$7.5 million is appropriated for these incentives.
CCAO Position: No position (as of October 2025)