Authorizes the forest ranger force to establish a training program for volunteer search and rescue personnel to assist the forest rangers in wild, remote and forested areas of the state.

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S1365-2013 Actions

• Mar 19, 2013: referred to environmental conservation
• Mar 19, 2013: DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
• Mar 19, 2013: PASSED SENATE
• Mar 5, 2013: ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
• Mar 4, 2013: 2ND REPORT CAL.
• Feb 28, 2013: 1ST REPORT CAL.114
• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

S1365-2013 Meetings

Environmental Conservation: Feb 28, 2013

S1365-2013 Calendars

Active List: Mar 19, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 4, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 5, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 6, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 7, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 11, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 12, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 13, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 14, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 18, 2013 , Floor Calendar: Mar 19, 2013

S1365-2013 Votes

S1365-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S1365

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to authorizing
the forest ranger force to establish a training program for volunteer
wild land search and rescue personnel

PURPOSE:
To authorize the DEC forest rangers to establish, direct and maintain
a program for the purposes of training and credentialing volunteer,
wild land search and rescue personnel.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1- Amends subdivision 18 of section 9-0105 of the
environmental conservation law, as added by chapter 617 of the laws
of 1984 to add a new paragraph (b) to authorize the DEC forest
rangers to establish, direct and maintain a program for the purpose
of training and credentialing volunteer, wild land search and rescue
personnel to assist and respond along with the forest ranger force to
search for lost and missing persons in the wild, remote and forest
land areas of the state.

Section 2- Contains the effective date

EXISTING LAW:
Subdivision 18 of section 9-0105 of the environmental conservation
law, as added by chapter 617 of the laws of 1984, relates to search
and rescue programs established, operated and maintained by the
Department of Environmental Conservation.

JUSTIFICATION:
This proposal would provide training and credentials for volunteer
search and rescue groups so that these groups are encouraged to
organize and participate in search and rescue operations. The
participation of volunteer search and rescue groups will benefit the
public by providing additional resources to respond in emergency
situations where lost or missing persons are in need of assistance,
the Training that is provided by the Department's forest rangers to
these volunteer groups will help ensure that volunteer search and
rescue efforts are conducted in a safe and effective manner. Well
trained volunteer search and rescue groups are very important since the
Department has limited resources and must conduct approximately 225
search and rescue efforts per year in wild remote and forested areas
of the state.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2011/12: S. 553 Passed Senate; A. 5016 Referred to Environmental
Conservation
2009/10: S. 3652/A. 8537; Referred to Environmental
Conservation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined


EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

S1365-2013 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    1365

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sens.  LITTLE,  DeFRANCISCO,  GALLIVAN -- read twice and
    ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
    Environmental Conservation

  AN  ACT  to  amend  the  environmental  conservation law, in relation to
    authorizing the forest ranger force to establish  a  training  program
    for volunteer wild land search and rescue personnel

    THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. Subdivision 18  of  section  9-0105  of  the  environmental
  conservation  law,  as  added  by  chapter  617  of the laws of 1984, is
  amended to read as follows:

    18. A. Establish, operate and maintain a search and rescue program  in
  fire  towns  and  fire  districts of the state. For the purposes of this
  section fire towns shall mean such towns provided for in section  9-1107
  of  this  chapter  and  fire  districts  shall  be deemed to be the fire
  protection areas provided for in section  9-1109  of  this  chapter  and
  regulations  promulgated  pursuant  to  the  authority of such sections.
  Pursuant to such program the forest ranger force of the department shall
  have the authority to organize, direct and execute search operations for
  lost persons or civilian aircraft  and  conduct  rescue  operations  for
  persons  injured  or in serious danger of injury in the wild, remote and
  forested areas of fire towns and fire districts of the  state;  provided
  that, where criminal conduct is suspected or fugitive search is involved
  such  search or rescue operations shall be conducted under the jurisdic-
  tion of the appropriate law enforcement agency.  Search and rescue oper-
  ations outside of fire towns and fire districts may be conducted by  the
  forest  ranger  force  upon request of the agency conducting such opera-
  tion.
    B. PURSUANT TO SUCH PROGRAM, THE FOREST RANGER FORCE OF THE DEPARTMENT
  SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH, DIRECT AND MAINTAIN A PROGRAM FOR

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD01133-01-3

 S. 1365                             2

  THE PURPOSE OF TRAINING AND CREDENTIALING VOLUNTEER,  WILD  LAND  SEARCH
  AND  RESCUE PERSONNEL TO ASSIST AND RESPOND ALONG WITH THE FOREST RANGER
  FORCE TO SEARCH FOR LOST AND MISSING PERSONS IN  THE  WILD,  REMOTE  AND
  FORESTED AREAS OF THE STATE.
    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.