Bill would update how fire instructor representative is chosen for DPSST advisory committee

House Bill 2,916 would amend statutory language describing one seat on the Fire Policy Committee to reflect that the committee member representing fire instructors should be recommended by a fire training association, rather than by a statewide association of fire instructors.

Jennifer Howald, legislative coordinator for the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), told the House Judiciary Committee that the proposed change is a technical fix. "ORS [statute citation in testimony] currently specifies that the committee includes one person recommended by and representing a statewide association of fire instructors. The issue that needs to be addressed is that there are no longer any statewide associations of instructors," Howald said. DPSST and the board have been using recommendations from regional fire training associations; the bill would update the statute to match that practice.

Howald described the Fire Policy Committee as one of five subject-matter expert committees that make recommendations to the DPSST board on public safety standards and training, including standards for training and certification of fire service professionals and review of cases involving denial or revocation of fire-service certifications. The change in HB 2,916 would be limited to the statutory language that names and defines that committee position; Howald characterized the bill as a technical statutory fix rather than a policy change.

No formal vote was taken; the committee closed the public hearing and moved to the next item.

Ending: Committee members thanked the witness and scheduled subsequent panels to continue the hearing agenda.