Sponsored by:
Senator PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Resident Firefighter Grant Program in Division of Fire Safety.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the Resident Firefighter Grant Program in the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs and supplementing P.L.1983, c.382 (C.52:27D-25a et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section:
Director means the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs.
Dormitory means a building, or portion thereof, containing rooms which are provided as residences or for overnight sleeping for resident firefighters.
Program means the Resident Firefighter Grant Program established pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
Resident firefighter means a firefighter who performs fire station duties including, but not limited to, attending trainings and responding to emergency calls, in exchange for free living accommodations.
b. There is established the Resident Firefighter Grant Program in the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs. The purpose of the program shall be to provide grants to fire districts, as may be annually appropriated, for the creation and expansion of resident firefighter programs.
c. The Director of the Division of Fire Safety shall administer the program, and shall:
(1) prescribe procedures for grant applications;
(2) advise and assist fire districts in the preparation of grant applications;
(3) establish criteria and procedures for the award of grants consistent with the provisions of this section; and
(4) monitor and evaluate the use of grant funds received by fire districts pursuant to this section.
d. Any fire district may apply to the director to receive a grant under the program to create or expand a resident firefighter program. The director shall evaluate all applications and shall, to the extent possible, equitably distribute grant awards to successful applicants in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The funds distributed under the program shall be utilized for purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), including, but not limited to, incentives and amenities for resident firefighters, and construction of, and supplies for, dormitories for resident firefighters which may include kitchen facilities.
e. The department shall request annually, as part of its annual budget proposal, a minimum of $5,000,000 to fund the grants authorized pursuant to this section. The department and the division also shall pursue any available federal, State, local, and private funding for the grants authorized pursuant to this section.
f. Of the amount appropriated to the program, two percent shall be allocated to the division to be used to administer the program.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Resident Firefighter Grant Program in the Division of Fire Safety (division) in the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). This program would provide grants to fire districts to use for the creation and expansion of resident firefighter programs. The bill defines resident firefighter as a firefighter who performs fire station duties including, but not limited to, attending trainings and responding to emergency calls, in exchange for free living accommodations.
The bill requires the director of the division, to the extent possible, to equitably distribute grant awards to successful applicants in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. Funds distributed under the program are required to be used for the purposes as prescribed in the bill, including, but not limited to, incentives and amenities for resident firefighters, and construction of, and supplies for, dormitories for resident firefighters which may include kitchen facilities.
The bill also requires DCA to annually request, as part of its annual budget proposal, a minimum of $5 million to fund the grants authorized by the bill. The bill also requires DCA and the division to pursue and utilize any available federal, State, local, and private funding for the grants.