PRINTER'S NO. 179
No. 199 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY CURRY, BEBKO-JONES, CORRIGAN, FRANKEL, MELIO,
SHANER, GRUCELA, SOLOBAY, ORIE, READSHAW, HARHAI, WILT,
ROONEY, SAYLOR, WOJNAROSKI, SURRA, LAUGHLIN, THOMAS,
HENNESSEY AND YOUNGBLOOD, JANUARY 24, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JANUARY 24, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, further providing for the number and description of
3 licenses for certain firefighters.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 1504(d)(3)(ii) of Title 75 of the
7 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
8 § 1504. Classes of licenses.
9 * * *
10 (d) Number and description of classes.--Licenses issued by
11 the department shall be classified in the following manner:
12 * * *
13 (3) Class C.--A Class C license shall be issued to those
14 persons 18 years of age or older, except as provided in
15 section 1503 (relating to persons ineligible for licensing),
16 who have demonstrated their qualifications to operate any
17 single vehicle, except those vehicles requiring a Class M
1 qualification, with a gross vehicle weight rating of not more
2 than 26,000 pounds or any combination of vehicles, except
3 combination vehicles involving motorcycles, that does not
4 meet the definition of either Class A or Class B of this
5 section.
6 * * *
7 [(ii) Any firefighter who is the holder of a Class C
8 license and who has a certificate of authorization from
9 his fire chief shall be authorized to operate any fire or
10 emergency vehicle registered to the fire department or
11 municipality, regardless of the other requirements of
12 this section as to the class of license required. No fire
13 chief, fire department, including any volunteer fire
14 company, or municipality shall be liable for any civil
15 damages as a result of the issuance of a certificate
16 authorized under this paragraph unless such act
17 constituted a crime, actual fraud, actual malice or
18 willful misconduct.]
19 (ii) (A) A paid or volunteer firefighter designated
20 to drive a fire or emergency vehicle registered to
21 the fire department or municipality may have a
22 special endorsement affixed to his or her driver's
23 license which authorizes him or her to drive this
24 vehicle for the purpose of carrying out the duties,
25 responsibilities and related activities of the fire
26 department.
27 (B) Every municipality operating a fire
28 department shall designate the fire chief or his or
29 her designee as the driver-training officer. The
30 driver-training officer shall meet qualifications
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1 that the department shall set forth. The driver-
2 training officer does not need to be a full-time
3 employee of the fire department.
4 (C) In order to be qualified to drive a fire or
5 emergency vehicle and have a special endorsement
6 attached to his or her driver's license, a
7 firefighter shall:
8 (I) Demonstrate his or her ability to
9 exercise ordinary and reasonable control of the
10 vehicle to the driver-training officer.
11 (II) Demonstrate familiarity with section
12 3105 (relating to drivers of emergency vehicles).
13 (III) Have attended an emergency vehicle
14 operators' course, and if not, must attend an
15 emergency vehicle operators' course as provided
16 for in clause (G) within one year of the
17 effective date of this subclause.
18 (D) Any firefighter who has been operating fire
19 or emergency vehicles for at least five years shall
20 be exempt from the requirements of subsection (b).
21 The fire chief of the fire department that employs a
22 firefighter exempt from these requirements shall file
23 an affidavit with the department that the firefighter
24 has been driving fire or emergency vehicles for at
25 least five years. The department may send the driver
26 a special endorsement that can be affixed to his or
27 her driver's license.
28 (E) It shall be the responsibility of the fire
29 chief of each fire department to keep a current list
30 of drivers qualified to operate fire or emergency
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1 vehicles. Changes in the list of qualified drivers
2 shall be reported to the department within 30 days of
3 each change.
4 (F) While undergoing training to operate fire or
5 emergency vehicles, a driver trainee shall be
6 accompanied by a driver who has a special endorsement
7 affixed to his or her license.
8 (G) The department shall establish standards for
9 a basic course for drivers of fire or emergency
10 vehicles. The courses shall be conducted by groups of
11 fire departments or by the Pennsylvania Fire Academy
12 with costs of the training to be borne by the
13 municipality or municipalities served by each fire
14 department.
15 * * *
16 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 180 days.
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