Section 204-B. Youth programs  


Latest version.
  • 1.  Volunteer  fire  departments and fire
      companies may establish, operate and maintain youth programs to  provide
      participants  with  the opportunity to become familiar with the programs
      and operations of fire departments, to  provide  programs  in  community
      fire  safety, fire prevention, and public fire prevention education, and
      to curtail false fire alarms by developing community  wide  respect  for
      the fire service.
        2. Volunteer fire departments and fire companies shall establish rules
      and   regulations  governing  youth  programs  established  pursuant  to
      subdivision one hereof, which shall include the minimum and maximum  age
      for   participation,   the   procedure  for  participation,  removal  or
      expulsion, residence, and provision for  adequate  supervision  of  such
      programs.
        3.  It  shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any volunteer
      fire  department  or  fire  company,  any  member  or  members  thereof,
      officers,  board  of  fire  commissioners or other body or office having
      authority to determine eligibility for participation  in  such  programs
      pursuant to this section, to exclude or expel from participation in such
      programs  any  individual because of race, creed, color, sex or national
      origin, or to discriminate against  any  participant  because  of  race,
      creed, color or national origin.
        4.  No  person  shall  participate in such program without the written
      consent of his or her parent or guardian. Such  consent  shall  continue
      until  withdrawn.  If  withdrawn,  participation  in  such program shall
      automatically terminate.
        5. All activities of participants in such program shall be approved in
      advance by the  chief,  or  his  designee.  No  activities  may  include
      emergency  duties  in  connection  with  fire department or fire company
      operations or any other hazardous activity.
        6. Participants in such programs shall not be eligible for any benefit
      provided by the volunteer firemen's benefit law.
        7. Volunteer fire departments and fire companies may purchase accident
      insurance to insure participants in  such  programs  against  injury  or
      death  resulting  from  bodily  injuries  sustained  in  performance  of
      approved activities. In addition, they may purchase insurance to protect
      against  liability  arising  from  approved  activities.  The  insurance
      purchased  pursuant to this subdivision may include medical and hospital
      coverage.
        8. No youth program shall be established pursuant to  subdivision  one
      of  this  section  unless  authorized  as  follows:  in a city the youth
      program must be authorized by the board of fire commissioners  or  other
      body  or  officer  having  control  of fire department; in a village the
      program must be approved by the board of fire commissioners or, if there
      is no board of fire commissioners, the village board of trustees;  in  a
      fire  district  the  program  must  be  authorized  by the board of fire
      commissioners; in a town outside  a  village  or  a  fire  district  the
      program must be authorized by the town board.