Rules subcommittee debates training-hour, live‑burn rules that affect volunteer firefighter pay

On June 5 the Commerce & Insurance rules subcommittee met to review draft rule language that determines which training qualifies volunteer firefighters for the state'funded educational incentive pay (EIP). Subcommittee members focused discussion on whether to specify hour totals in the rules, how to treat live‑burn (live fire) requirements and exemptions, and whether support roles and investigators should be eligible.

The debate centered on two competing aims: give the Commission office a clear, auditable standard for approving EIP while avoiding language that would exclude volunteers who trained under other regimes or in other states. Commissioner Solomon said a narrowly written statutory reference could reintroduce exemptions the committee had tried to avoid, warning that "If you leave that 1 12 a in there, they're gonna have to hit the 16 hours" (Commissioner Solomon). Staff and attendees repeatedly raised the practical problem that certificates from older courses or from other states often lack the discrete "16‑hour" or "64‑hour" labels currently used by the office for verification.

Among the points discussed:

- Hours vs. named courses: Some members argued the rules should specify a minimum number of…