State Fire Marshal seeks firefighter PPE grants and inspector pay parity funded from fee account

Mark Engleholm, State Fire Marshal, told the Ways and Means Committee the state needs to continue funding personal protective equipment for volunteer fire departments and asked that inspectors receive pay parity with Highway Patrol counterparts so the Office can recruit and retain certified investigators.

KLRD fiscal staff briefed senators that the House moved $500,000 from the Judiciary budget to the State Fire Marshal to continue a grant program that supplies turnout gear and other protective equipment to volunteer fire departments; Engleholm said that program previously bought 101 full sets of gear and targeted departments with annual budgets of $25,000 or less.

Engleholm said roughly 16,000 firefighters serve in Kansas and about 90% are volunteers; he recounted recent incidents in which volunteer staff suffered severe burns and emphasized the program’s focus on protecting low‑budget volunteer departments. He told the committee the $500,000 the House placed would be distributed as pass‑through grants for PPE.

Separately, the Fire Marshal asked for fee‑fund authority to pay investigators and inspectors at parity with the Highway Patrol, citing difficulty recruiting certified felony/arson investigators at current pay levels. The office said the request would use existing fee‑fund balances rather than SGF. The agency also flagged an economic‑impact contractor request (about $60,000) tied to planned fire code rule updates; KLRD noted that item was not funded in the House position.

Committee members asked about boiler inspection staffing and fee funds; staff confirmed one boiler inspector position was shifted within the agency and the fee fund adjustments reflect that change. The agency said it will continue to seek efficient ways to manage code updates and grant distribution efforts.