HCS SCS SB 47 -- FIRE PROTECTION AND VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY RESPONSE
PERSONNEL

This bill establishes the Volunteer Firefighter Job Protection
Act which prohibits public and private employers from terminating
an employee for becoming a volunteer firefighter or a member of
the Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task
Force One, or Urban Search and Rescue Team or for being absent
from or late to work due to his or her volunteer emergency
service.  If an employee is absent from or late to work due to
his or her service as a volunteer firefighter or as a member of
an emergency response team, the employee may lose pay and may be
required to provide a written verification from his or her
supervisor as to the time and date of the emergency.  The
volunteer firefighter or emergency response member must make a
reasonable effort to notify his or her employer that he or she
may be absent from or late to work due to an emergency.  A
volunteer firefighter or emergency response member who is
terminated in violation of this provision may bring a civil
action within one year against his or her employer seeking
reinstatement of his or her position, benefits, seniority, and
back wages.  If the employee prevails, he or she is entitled to
receive reasonable attorney fees and other costs associated with
the civil action.

Currently, all fire protection districts, fire departments, and
volunteer fire protection associations must file the name and
address of the district, department, or association with the
State Fire Marshal within the Department of Public Safety by
October 13 of each year.  Beginning January 1, 2008, the bill
changes the deadline to March 1.  The State Fire Marshal may
conduct periodic reviews of the information on the registration
forms and may deny or revoke a fire department's identification
number based upon the information provided.

Fire protection districts, municipal fire departments, and
volunteer fire protection associations must be the sole providers
of fire suppression and related activities.  Only with the
approval of the governing body of any district, department, or
association will any other association, organization, group, or
political subdivision be authorized to provide fire suppression
response and related activities.  However, any ambulance service
or district may provide emergency medical services and
nonemergency medical transport within the geographic boundaries
of a fire department.

The bill also specifies that the inspection required upon the
sale or transfer of an ambulance service ownership must be
limited to the verification of its compliance with standards for
the renewal of an existing license.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated July 25, 2007 at 11:21 am