Public Act 100-0600
 
SB3304 EnrolledLRB100 20771 SLF 36259 b


  
    AN ACT concerning local government.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  


 
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Fire Protection Training Act is 
amended  by changing Sections 2, 7,  9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 as 
follows:
 



    (50 ILCS 740/2)  (from Ch. 85, par. 532)



    Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the 
context
requires otherwise:

    a.  Office means the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

    b.  "Local governmental agency" means any local 
governmental unit or
municipal corporation in this State. It 
does not include the State of
Illinois or any office, officer, 
department, division, bureau, board,
commission, or agency of 
the State except: (i) a State controlled university,
college, 
or public community college, or (ii) the Office of the State 
Fire Marshal.

    c.  "School" means any school located within the State of 
Illinois
whether privately or publicly owned which offers a 
course in fire
protection training or related subjects and 
which has been approved by
the Office.

    d. "Trainee" means a recruit fire fighter required to 
complete
initial minimum basic training requirements at an 
approved school to be
eligible for permanent employment as a 
fire fighter.

    e. "Fire protection personnel" and "fire fighter" means any 
person
engaged in fire administration, fire prevention, fire 
suppression, fire
education and arson investigation, including 
any permanently employed,
trainee or volunteer fire fighter, 
whether or not such person, trainee
or volunteer is compensated 
for all or any fraction of his time.

    f. "Basic training" and "basic level" shall mean the entry 
level fire fighter Basic Operations Firefighter
program 
established by as promulgated by the rules and regulations of 
the Office.

    g. "Advanced training" means the advanced level fire 
fighter programs established by the Office.
(Source: P.A. 96-974, eff. 7-2-10; 97-782, eff. 1-1-13.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/7)  (from Ch. 85, par. 537)



    Sec. 7. Selection and approval certification of schools. 
The Office shall select and approve certify the fire training

program at the University of Illinois and other schools within 
the State of
Illinois for the purpose of providing basic 
training for trainees, and
advanced or in-service inservice 
training for permanent fire protection personnel
which schools 
may be either publicly or privately owned and operated.

(Source: P.A. 80-147.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/9)  (from Ch. 85, par. 539)



    Sec. 9. Training participation; funding. All local 
governmental agencies
and individuals may elect to participate

in the training programs under this Act, subject to the rules 
and regulations
of the Office. The participation may be for 
certification
only, or for
certification and reimbursement for 
training expenses as further provided
in this Act. To be 
eligible to receive reimbursement for training of
individuals,

a local governmental agency shall require by ordinance that a 
trainee complete
a basic level course approved by the Office, 
and pass the State
test for certification at the basic level 
within the probationary period
as established by the local 
governmental agency. A certified copy of the
ordinance must be 
on file with the Office.

    Individuals who have retired from active fire service 
duties and are officially affiliated with fire service 
training, mutual aid, incident command, fire ground 
operations, or staff support for public fire service 
organizations shall not be prohibited from receiving training 
certification from the Office on the ground that they are not 
employed or otherwise engaged by an organized Illinois fire 
department if they otherwise meet the minimum certification 
standards set by the Office. 
    Employees of the Office shall not be prohibited from 
receiving training certifications from the Office on the 
grounds that they are not employed or otherwise engaged by an 
organized Illinois fire department if they otherwise meet the 
minimum certification standards set by the Office and the 
certifications are directly related to their job-related 
duties, as determined by the Office. 
    The Office may by rule provide for reimbursement funding 
for trainees who
are volunteers or paid on call fire protection 
personnel beyond their
probationary
period, but not to exceed 3 
years from the date of initial employment.
The Office may 
reimburse for basic or advanced training of individuals who

were permanently employed fire protection personnel prior to 
the date of
the ordinance. Individuals may receive 
reimbursement if employed
by a unit
of local government that 
participates for reimbursement funding
and the
individual is 
otherwise eligible.

    Failure of any trainee to complete the basic training and

certification
within the required period will render that 
individual and local governmental
agency ineligible for 
reimbursement funding for basic training for that
individual in 
the calendar fiscal year in which his probationary period ends. 
The
individual may later become certified without 
reimbursement.

    Any participating local governmental agency may elect to 
withdraw from
the training program by repealing the original 
ordinance, and a certified
copy
of the ordinance must be filed 
with the Office.

(Source: P.A. 96-215, eff. 8-10-09; 97-782, eff. 1-1-13.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/10)  (from Ch. 85, par. 540)



    Sec. 10. Training expenses; reimbursement. The Office, not 
later than
May 30th of each year,
from funds appropriated for 
this purpose, shall reimburse the local
governmental agencies 
or individuals participating in the training
program in an 
amount equaling one-half of the total sum paid by
them during

the period established by the Office for tuition
at training 
schools, salary of
trainees while in school, necessary travel 
expenses, and room and board
for each trainee from funds 
appropriated for this purpose. Funds appropriated under this 
Section shall be used for reimbursement for costs incurred from 
January 1 through December 31 of the prior calendar year. In 
addition to reimbursement provided herein by the
Office to the 
local governmental agencies for participation by trainees,
the 
Office in each year shall reimburse the local governmental 
agencies
participating in the training program for permanent 
fire protection
personnel in the same manner as trainees for 
each training program.
No more than 50% of the reimbursements 
distributed to local governmental
agencies in any fiscal year 
shall be distributed to local governmental
agencies of more 
than 500,000 persons.  If at the time of the annual

reimbursement to local governmental agencies participating in 
the
training program there is an insufficient appropriation to 
make
reimbursement in full, the appropriation shall be 
apportioned among the
participating local governmental 
agencies.  No local governmental agency
which shall alter or 
change in any manner any of the training programs
as 
promulgated under this Act or fail to comply with rules and

regulations promulgated under this Act shall be entitled to 
receive any
matching funds under this Act.  Submitting false 
information to the
Office is a Class B misdemeanor.

(Source: P.A. 97-782, eff. 1-1-13.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/11)  (from Ch. 85, par. 541)



    Sec. 11. Rules and regulations. 
    The Office may make, amend, and rescind
those rules and 
regulations
as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this Act. The Office may
make rules and regulations 
establishing the fees to be paid for the administration
of 
examinations, approval certification of schools, and 
certification of fire
fighters, and other training programs 
provided by the Office. 

(Source: P.A. 89-180, eff. 7-19-95; 90-20, eff. 6-20-97.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/12)  (from Ch. 85, par. 542)



    Sec. 12. Advanced training programs. The Office, in its 
discretion, may
adopt rules and minimum
standards for advanced 
training programs for permanent fire protection
personnel in 
addition to the basic training programs. The training for

permanent fire protection personnel may be given in any schools 
approved selected
by the Office. Such training, if offered, may 
be discontinued by the
school upon either a temporary or 
permanent basis. Local governmental
agencies which have 
elected to participate in the basic recruit training
program 
may elect to participate in the advanced, training for 
permanent
fire protection personnel, but non-participation in 
the advanced program
shall not in any way affect the right of 
governmental agencies to
participate in the basic training 
trainee program. The failure of any permanent fire
protection 
employee to successfully complete any course herein
authorized 
shall not affect his or her status as a member of the fire

department of any local governmental agency. 

(Source: P.A. 80-147.)

 



    (50 ILCS 740/13)  (from Ch. 85, par. 543)



    Sec. 13. Additional powers and Duties. In addition to
the 
other powers and duties given to the Office by this Act, the 
Office:

    (1) may employ a Manager Director of Personnel Standards

and Education and other necessary clerical
and technical 
personnel;

    (2) may make such reports and recommendations to the 
Governor and
the General Assembly in regard to fire protection 
personnel, standards,
education, and related topics as it deems 
proper;

    (3) shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly 
no later
than March 1 of each year the affairs and activities 
of the Office
for the preceding year.

    The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly shall 
be satisfied
by filing copies of the report with the Speaker, 
the Minority Leader and
the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives and the President, the Minority
Leader and the 
Secretary of the Senate and the Legislative Research
Unit, as 
required
by Section 3.1 of "An Act to revise the law in 
relation to the General Assembly",
approved February 25, 1874, 
as amended, and filing such additional copies
with the State 
Government Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly

as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State 
Library Act.

(Source: P.A. 84-1438.)