2021 WaterFirst Webinar Series
Next month, the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) is hosting a webinar series for Georgia communities interested in pursuing the WaterFirst designation. Each webinar will focus on different topics. Click here for more details.
New Volunteer Firefighter Training Requirements and Deadlines
On October 12 the Georgia Firefighter Standards & Training Council (GFSTC) met with a group of Fire Chiefs from Volunteer Fire Departments across the state to discuss several rule changes proposed by GFSTC staff. The primary proposed rule change was that prospective volunteers would have a six-month deadline to obtain certification as a “Volunteer Support Firefighter”. Failure to obtain the certification in the six-month time period would result in a mandate that the prospective volunteer be removed from the fire department’s roster for a minimum of one year. This was voted down.
As an alternative, the GFSTC voted to approve a recognized, non-certified registered position in the volunteer fire service that falls solely under the local government/local fire department. The position would be called a “Volunteer Auxiliary Personnel,” and it affords prospective volunteers the ability to join volunteer departments without a deadline to receive GFSTC mandated training. The local government/local fire department can establish any requirements they choose; however, the prospective volunteer will still need to be registered with GFSTC, covered under Worker’s Compensation Insurance including Cancer coverage, and will only have to attend the same 24 hours of annual training that other members of volunteer department must receive and report.
The rule change will be effective January 1, 2022.
