SB 470 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, further providing for firefighter and emergency service training and establishing the Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program and the Fire Training Fund.

PRINTER'S NO.   424

                        THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                           SENATE BILL
                           No. 470
                                                  Session of
                                                    2025

     INTRODUCED BY BROOKS, CULVER, L. WILLIAMS, COMITTA, MASTRIANO,
        BARTOLOTTA, BROWN, FONTANA, PENNYCUICK, J. WARD, TARTAGLIONE,
        STEFANO, ROBINSON, KANE, DUSH AND SANTARSIERO, MARCH 18, 2025

     REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 18, 2025


                                       AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
 6      further providing for firefighter and emergency service
 7      training and establishing the Secondary Education Fire
 8      Training Pilot Program and the Fire Training Fund.
 9      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10   hereby enacts as follows:
11         Section 1.    Section 1550 of the act of March 10, 1949
12   (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
13   amended to read:
14         Section 1550.    Firefighter and Emergency Service Training.--
15   (a)    [Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year and each school
16   year thereafter, a school district] A school entity or nonpublic
17   school may offer firefighter and emergency service training as
18   credit-earning courses to students of the age of sixteen (16)
19   years or older, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c).
20   Such courses may include:
 1      (1)   Training as a Firefighter I from the National Board on
 2   Fire Service Professional Qualifications.
 3      (2)   Training as an emergency medical technician pursuant to
 4   the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the
 5   "Emergency Medical Services Act."
 6      (b)   A school [district] entity or nonpublic school that
 7   offers firefighter and emergency service training as credit-
 8   earning courses shall provide transportation to and supervision
 9   during any firefighter and emergency service training program
10   that takes place off school grounds. Supervision of training
11   shall be conducted as a cooperative education program in
12   accordance with the provisions of 22 Pa. Code § 11.28 (relating
13   to out-of-school programs and part-time employment).
14      (c)   The Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program is
15   established. The purpose of the pilot program is to provide high
16   school students with instruction through a partnership between
17   institutions of higher education and school entities or
18   nonpublic schools, or both, to increase the number of
19   individuals capable of becoming volunteer firefighters. The
20   pilot program shall be implemented in accordance with section 7
21   of the act of October 24, 2012 (P.L.1209, No.151), known as the
22   Child Labor Act, and the following:
23      (1)   The State Fire Commissioner shall accept proposals from
24   institutions of higher education in this Commonwealth for the
25   pilot program. From the proposals submitted, the State Fire
26   Commissioner shall select three institutions of higher education
27   to offer the pilot program. The State Fire Commissioner, to the
28   greatest extent practicable, shall select one institution of
29   higher education each from the eastern, central and western
30   regions of this Commonwealth. Nothing in this section shall

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 1   prohibit an institution of higher education from incorporating
 2   emergency medical services instruction in the pilot program.
 3      (2)   An institution of higher education selected by the State
 4   Fire Commissioner shall operate the pilot program by entering
 5   into an agreement with a school entity or nonpublic school, or
 6   both, for the provision of fire instruction to students who are
 7   in at least the ninth grade and leading to Firefighter I
 8   certification.
 9      (3)   The Fire Training Fund is established in the State
10   Treasury. The State Fire Commissioner may accept monetary
11   donations and other money for deposit into the Fire Training
12   Fund from a person, business, foundation, tax-exempt
13   organization under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) (relating to exemption
14   from tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc.) or government
15   entity on behalf of the Commonwealth.
16      (4)   Any money appropriated, donated or transferred to and
17   interest earned on the Fire Training Fund shall be deposited
18   into the Fire Training Fund.
19      (5)   Money may be appropriated to the State Fire Commissioner
20   to carry out the provisions of this subsection. Each institution
21   of higher education offering the pilot program shall receive at
22   least one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for the
23   duration of the pilot program.
24      (6)   During the pilot program, the Legislative Budget and
25   Finance Committee shall conduct a survey of volunteer fire
26   companies in the municipalities surrounding the school entities
27   and nonpublic schools that participate in the pilot program to
28   determine whether the pilot program is increasing the number of
29   volunteer firefighters and any additional recommendations. The
30   results of the survey shall be submitted to the chair and

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 1   minority chair of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency
 2   Preparedness Committee of the Senate and the chair and minority
 3   chair of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
 4   Committee of the House of Representatives within six (6) months
 5   of the expiration of the pilot program.
 6      (7)   The pilot program shall expire four (4) years from the
 7   effective date of this paragraph.
 8      (d)   As used in this section, the following words and phrases
 9   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
10   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
11      "Institution of higher education."     A community college
12   operating under Article XIX-A, a college operating under Article
13   XIX-G or a university within the State System of Higher
14   Education.
15      "Nonpublic school."   A nonprofit school, other than a public
16   school in this Commonwealth, wherein a resident of this
17   Commonwealth may legally fulfill the compulsory school
18   attendance requirements of this act and which meets the
19   applicable requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public
20   Law 88-352, 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq.).
21      "Pilot program."   The Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot
22   Program established under subsection (c).
23      "School entity."   A school district, intermediate unit, area
24   career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter
25   school or regional charter school.
26      Section 2.   This act shall take effect January 1, 2026, or
27   immediately, whichever is later.




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