03/05/2013 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

              HB 113-ALASKA FIRE STANDARDS COUNCIL                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:20:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that the  next order of business  was HOUSE                                                               
BILL NO.  113, "An Act relating  to the membership of  the Alaska                                                               
Fire Standards Council."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:20:22 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL PASCHALL, Staff, Representative  Eric Feige, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, presented HB 113 on  behalf of Representative Feige,                                                               
sponsor.   He disclosed that he  is an assistant chief  of a fire                                                               
department  and  Representative  Feige  is  a  chief  of  a  fire                                                               
department;   therefore,  either   of   them   could  have   some                                                               
interaction with the Alaska Fire  Standards Council.  He read the                                                               
mission  statement  of  the Alaska  Fire  Standards  Council,  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
      To establish professional standards for fire service                                                                      
         personnel, and curriculum requirements for the                                                                         
     certification of training programs.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.   PASCHALL   said  the   council   consists   of  two   chief                                                               
administrative   officers   from   fire  departments   of   local                                                               
government; four representatives of  fire fighters, including one                                                               
from the Alaska [State] Fire  Fighters Association; two volunteer                                                               
fire fighters -  one from a large community and  one from a small                                                               
community;  two  members  of  the  public  -  one  from  a  large                                                               
community and one from a  small community; and one representative                                                               
of  the  Alaska  State  Fire Marshall's  Office.    The  proposed                                                               
legislation  would specify  that one  of the  four fire  fighters                                                               
will  be  a  representative  of   the  Alaska  Professional  Fire                                                               
Fighters' Association (APFA),  which represents approximately 500                                                               
career  fire  fighters  in  Alaska and  is  associated  with  the                                                               
International  Association  of  Firefighters.   Further,  HB  113                                                               
would  add  an  additional  member   of  the  council  who  would                                                               
represent  the  Alaska  Fire  Chiefs  Association;  a  membership                                                               
organization representing fire chiefs in Alaska.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.  PASCHALL stated  the purposed  of  the proposed  bill is  to                                                               
ensure  the three  statewide organizations,  which represent  the                                                               
majority of fire fighters in  Alaska, will have an opportunity to                                                               
be  represented  in  their  official  capacity  on  the  council.                                                               
Currently,  one  of the  organizations  is  represented, but  the                                                               
other two  are not.   He noted  that he had  provided information                                                               
about the council in the  committee packet, including the current                                                               
membership  and a  list of  some of  certification programs.   He                                                               
relayed that a council member  is available via teleconference to                                                               
answer questions.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:23:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. PASCHALL continued:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     There was a slight change  in the wording, beginning in                                                                    
     Section 1,  ... page  1, line 5:   Because  the current                                                                    
     standards call for  the two fire chiefs  and, thus, the                                                                    
     addition  of  the  third  fire   chief  to  be  from  a                                                                    
     municipal fire  department, ... we  felt like  that ...                                                                    
     excluded certain  fire chiefs, because in  some cases -                                                                    
     for example, in  many of our boroughs -  the fire chief                                                                    
     is actually  a representative of a  private, non-profit                                                                    
     organization under contract with the borough.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  offered his understanding  that essentially  the same                                                               
bill was offered last year.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  PASCHALL  stated  that  the   bill  offered  last  year,  by                                                               
Representative  Craig Johnson,  did not  include that  provision.                                                               
He revealed that he had "caught  in the process," and he said the                                                               
council, as well as the  other organizations all agreed that that                                                               
was an appropriate change to make.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:23:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. PASCHALL continued:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     ... The membership composition  is ... slightly altered                                                                    
     for  the   [Alaska  State]   Firefighters  Association,                                                                    
     because   the   original  wording   said   "firefighter                                                                    
     administrative  officer" from  that organization.   The                                                                    
     organization would like to be  able to recommend to the                                                                    
     governor  an appointment  of  any  of their  membership                                                                    
     that  they choose  to represent  them  at the  [Alaska]                                                                    
     Fire Standards Council.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     And ... also,  it adds a member, as  already stated, of                                                                    
     the Alaska  Professional Firefighters  Association, and                                                                    
     then  finally, on  page  2,  it adds  a  member of  the                                                                    
     Alaska Fire Chiefs Association.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. PASCHALL  stated that Section 2  of the bill would  add a new                                                               
subsection  defining  how  members are  appointed;  the  governor                                                               
would appoint them from a  list of three individuals submitted by                                                               
each of the  organizations.  He said, "So, the  governor is still                                                               
making  the appointment,  but  the  membership organizations  are                                                               
making a recommendation to the governor  on who to appoint out of                                                               
their membership."   Mr. Paschall  explained the  significance of                                                               
members being  appointed via this  recommendation system  is that                                                               
it  would  give   a  broader  depth  of   representation  on  the                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:26:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEFF  TUCKER, Fire  Chief,  Northstar  Volunteer Fire  Department                                                               
(NVFD),   testified  on   behalf  of   the  Alaska   Fire  Chiefs                                                               
Association in  support of  HB 113.   He  said the  proposed bill                                                               
would  include representation  of  all three  of  the major  fire                                                               
service  organizations  in  Alaska.   He  echoed  Mr.  Paschall's                                                               
statement that  the proposed  legislation would  give a  voice to                                                               
those associations  that represent  membership across  the state,                                                               
and he said this is important to the association's 100 members.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:27:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ISAACSON asked  if the  additional representation                                                               
on  the council  would  cost  the state  or  be  absorbed by  the                                                               
association.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  TUCKER  offered  his  understanding  that  a  previous  bill                                                               
addressing this  issue included a  fiscal note, which was  just a                                                               
few hundred  dollars.  He  said, "That  is something that  can be                                                               
absorbed through the [Alaska]  Fire Standards Council['s] current                                                               
funding."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:28:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BUDDY  LANE,   Chair,  Alaska  Fire  Standards   Council  (AFSC),                                                               
testified that the  council is in support of HB  113.  He stated,                                                               
"We've worked with  these organizations in the past,  and we feel                                                               
that  they bring  something  to the  table for  us,  and we  look                                                               
forward  to having  them on  the council."   He  deferred comment                                                               
regarding  the fiscal  note to  Gordon  Descutner, the  executive                                                               
director of the council.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:29:28 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT  DENNARD, Alaska  State  Firefighters Association  (ASFA);                                                               
Member,  Alaska  Fire  Standards  Council  (AFSC),  testified  on                                                               
behalf  of ASFA  in support  of  HB 113.   He  related that  ASFA                                                               
represents  approximately 1,500  fire fighters  throughout Alaska                                                               
and supports "the change to this bill, as well."                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:30:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GORDON  DESCUTNER,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  Fire  Standards                                                               
Council  (AFSC), in  response to  a previous  question, said  the                                                               
fiscal  note would  address  the additional  cost  of having  the                                                               
extra seats added  to the council under HB 113.   He related that                                                               
at  this  point in  time,  the  council  has seen  a  significant                                                               
increase in the cost of travel.   He said the total of the fiscal                                                               
note identified is approximately $2,300.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:30:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DESCUTER, in  response to  Representative Isaacson,  said it                                                               
would not be  appropriate to hold one entity  accountable for its                                                               
travel costs to council meetings  when the council is responsible                                                               
for  all  other  council  members;   therefore,  the  council  is                                                               
requesting funding for the additional $2,300.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:31:47 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TOM  WESCOTT,   President,  Alaska  Professional   Fire  Fighters                                                               
Association (AKPFFA),  stated that  [the association]  has worked                                                               
with  the council  and the  fire chiefs  to gain  their unanimous                                                               
support  of  HB 113,  with  the  overall  goal of  enhancing  the                                                               
council.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:32:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN,  after ascertaining  that there was  no one  else who                                                               
wished to testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:32:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER  moved to  report HB  113 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection,  HB 113 was reported out of the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.