November 13,2024
Yesterday the Office Of Safety And Health Administration started online public hearings, which will go on until early December. The public hearings are about OSHA’s new rules and regulations for firefighters. One of those scheduled to speak, is Steuben County Public Safety Director Tim Marshall. According to Marshall, the new rules would cost fire departments about $4800 more a year, and make training hours go from 124 hours to 256 hours. The county public safety director maintains, that training would be for volunteer firefighters too.
Also yesterday, Hornell Mayor John Buckley held a meeting to discuss the new proposed rules and regulations. The meeting was with local firefighters and town and village leaders. The Hornell mayor is concerned that these proposed changes, if passed, will create unfunded mandates. “I’m very interested in what kind of impact it will have on paid fire departments and volunteer fire departments,” Buckley said. “Also, I want to know how that will impact recruitment.”
From OSHA: “OSHA has received comments in response to the NPRM from many stakeholders, including volunteer emergency responders, fire chiefs, trade organizations, and members of Congress, which raise serious concerns about the economic feasibility of the proposed standard for volunteer fire departments. OSHA takes these concerns seriously. The comments submitted to the rulemaking docket provide crucial information that the agency did not have earlier in the rulemaking process. This new information will help the agency make the necessary determinations about whether the proposed standard is feasible for volunteer organizations.”
