SFFMA Legislative Alert

Here is an email that received form the SFFMA If you are a volunteer Firefighter Please call your representative . On the surface this may sound like a good idea, but DO NOT confuse the term education with training.  These people are talking about not allowing someone to volunteer unless they have an as yet determined amount of education. Sorry, but in a fire fight I don't care if the man/woman beside me has a college degree of even finished high school I just need to know that they are trained.   

SFFMA Legislative Alert - Immediate Action Needed!

Tuesday of this week, Representative Linda Harper-Brown laid out the committee substitute to House Bill 3390, which is the Sunset bill for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.  At the request of the Chair, Representative Yvonne Davis, the substitute includes language requiring the Commission to regulate volunteer firefighters.

Section 17 of the bill requires the Commission to establish minimum educational and training standards for volunteer firefighters.

Section 28 of the bill authorizes the Commission to prohibit someone from being a volunteer firefighter if they don’t meet minimum requirements, don’t meet continuing education requirements, and don’t meet other “certain requirements determined by commission rule.”  The bill does not specify what these other requirements might be!

The bill was voted out of the Urban Affairs committee late last night and is now heading to the House floor for a vote.

At a time when we are struggling to raise the funds to put fuel in our trucks, purchase much needed equipment, and fight the wildfires that are sweeping across large parts of the state, the last thing we need is more regulation from Austin!  The Legislature should be helping us protect the state of Texas, not discouraging people from VOLUNTEERING their time to serve their communities. 

WE NEED YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION ON THIS MATTER! PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE!

Tell whomever answers the phone who you are and that you want the Representative to support volunteer firefighters and vote for an amendment to strip Sections 17 and 28 from CSHB 3390.  The person on the phone will tell you that they will advise the Representative.  Tell them thank you for their support and hang up.  Please be professional.  In most cases your Representative had nothing to do with this committee substitute and we need their help. 

You can find your State Representative’s Austin office phone number by going to The Texas Legislature online at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us . 

Please do not call legislators who are not your representative – this is counterproductive.

For further information please check www.sffma.org 

Posted via email from Musings, Ramblings and Other Assorted Rubbish