Page 12 - InCommand Volume 30

Legislative Update - State
By Jonathan Westendorf, Legislative Committee Chair and Michelle Fitzgibbon, Legislative Agent
As we have continually stressed, OFCA wants to ensure that any model for PTSD coverage, whether through BWC or another system, provides first responders with
the proper access to medical care.
With the primary elections behind us, the state legislature is now finishing up its last couple weeks of work at the Statehouse before returning to their districts for campaigning for the November General Election. As the calendar currently stands, both chambers plan to winddown by mid-June.
Until that time, there are several pieces of legislation that OFCA is actively engaged in and we are hoping for action before the General Assembly ends at the end of the year. These bills include BWC PTSD coverage, a tax credit for volunteer firefighters who purchase their own safety equipment, requirements for sealed battery smoke detectors, and PFAS foam regulations.
There are two forms of the PTSD legislation, one that has yet to be introduced that is viewed as a more favorable proposal for the business community. The House version, House Bill 308, is sponsored by Representative Patton and is a proposal that has been floated around for the past couple General Assemblies.
Working toward a beneficial PTSD coverage system for first responder, the Legislative Committee, Health and Wellness Committee, and Executive Board have all been diligently tracking the legislation and having conversations with legislators about including language that establishes a PTSD hotline, similar to the suicide prevention hotline. As we have continually stressed, OFCA wants to ensure that any model for PTSD coverage, whether through BWC or another system, provides first responders with the proper access to medical care. Beyond simply monetary coverage, we want to ensure that men and women are able to be connected with the proper medical professionals who can accurately assess, diagnose and treat these individuals.
Another bill that OFCA has been pursuing at the Statehouse is Senate Bill 286, which makes volunteer firefighters eligible for a tax credit for buying their own safety gear for use on the job. Senator Schaffer has carried a similar bill for law enforcement officers the past several years, and OFCA asked him to introduce
a similar bill for Ohio volunteer firefighters. As he told our membership at the Winter Symposium, Senator Schaffer has been a long-time supporter of volunteer firefighters, as recalled the impact they made on his Cambridge community, where he grew up.
Representative Baldridge has also proved to be a tremendous champion for the fire service in his first term as a state representative. Representative Baldridge comes to the legislature as a former Fire Chief of Wayne Township Fire Department in southern Ohio. He is the sponsor of several pieces of legislation that OFCA is actively supporting, including House Bill 271, which requires the installation of sealed battery smoke detectors with a ten-year battery life in residential buildings in certain instances. Such instances include when a residential premises changes ownership or tenants, the building undergoes alterations or repairs, the smoke detector fails a function test, or is past the date of manufacture.
Representative Baldridge is also the sponsor of House Bill 328, which limits
the use of PFAS foam to only emergency instances. Seeing as many departments already use non-PFAS foams for training exercises, OFCA is a proponent of this legislation. However, we have asked for inclusion of language that would clarify that in emergent situations where the PFAS foam is used, the fire department is not
12 InCommand APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2020 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org