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Published Tuesday, September 12, 2000

Legislative committee studies volunteer firefighters, emergency medical

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Last modified at 5:02 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, 2000

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By Bauer

The Associated Press

LINCOLN -- When the emergency call goes out, some Nebraska employers

aren't willing to let volunteers who are their employees respond. One state

senator wonders if state law should be changed to force companies into letting

those volunteer firefighters and medical technicians leave to deal with the

emergencies.

The issue was the topic of an interim study hearing Tuesday by the

Legislature's Business and Labor Committee.

Sen. Di Schimek of Lincoln proposed the study after being approached

about the problem by a volunteer firefighter.

" The employees are really caught in the middle, " Schimek said. " They're

trying to do a public service, but they aren't able to perform their duties and

functions as well as they like. "

Employers are becoming more and more reluctant to let volunteer

firefighters and emergency medical responders leave for emergencies or to get

the training they need, Schimek said.

" You have people taking vacation or docking pay to go on an emergency

response, " said Jerry Stilmock, lobbyist for the Nebraska State Volunteer

Firefighter's Association.

Dave , a volunteer for the Southwest Rural Fire Department outside

of Lincoln, said volunteers like himself must constantly decide whether to

respond to a call and risk being reprimanded at work.

" Those volunteers that risked their lives at work now have to worry about

their livelihood, " he said.

The interim study calls for a review of how much it costs employers to let

volunteers respond to emergencies and attend needed training sessions. The

difficulty of finding volunteers also is to be examined.

The firefighter's association has no specific proposal in mind for the

Legislature to consider to remedy the situation, Stilmock said.

Sen. Hilgert of Omaha, a member of the Business and Labor Committee,

which played host to the hearing, said businesses that do not allow volunteers

to leave work for emergencies had reached a " new height of callousness. "

" It's amazing to me they would not let you respond to an emergency, " he

said.

Schimek does not know what, if any, solution she may pursue through

legislation next session.

" I think we should find out how much a problem there really is out there, "

she said. " I have no preconceived notions here. "

The Legislature has looked at the problem of finding enough volunteer

firefighters before.

In 1999 it passed a law allowing communities to set aside money for active

volunteers as an incentive to recruit and retain more volunteers in the future.

Under the plan, communities would have the option of annually contributing

at least $100 per volunteer while a state board would manage the funds.

Volunteers would be eligible for the money after being active for 10 years and

reaching age 65.

Nebraska's 492 fire districts include an estimated 12,000 volunteers who

protect state buildings, parks, recreation areas and highways without

compensation from the state.

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