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HB 355

Office of State Fire Marshal to Study Future of Rural Firefighting.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Amber Baker and 29 co-sponsors

Direct OSFM to study and report on rural NC firefighting needs, including recruitment, funding, mutual aid, wellness, outreach, and sustainability with proposed legislation by 2027

Regular Message Received From House
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Bill Summary · HB 355

Summary — HB 355: Office of State Fire Marshal to Study Future of Rural Firefighting (NC, 2025)

Status: Committee Substitute Favorable; enacted as a study directive to the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Effective when law.

Main purpose

Direct the Office of the State Fire Marshal to conduct a comprehensive, statewide study of firefighting in rural North Carolina, identifying trends, challenges, and opportunities and recommending legislative, funding, training, and policy actions to keep rural fire departments fiscally sound and mission‑effective.

Key provisions

  • Designates the OSFM as the lead agency to perform the study (committee substitute changed the original LRC lead to OSFM).
  • Study scope (minimum areas to examine):
    1. Volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention, including possible incentives and modern training programs.
    2. Funding and resource allocation: current distribution, improvements, state/federal grant opportunities, strategies to purchase/maintain equipment (e.g., apparatus, PPE).
    3. Interagency cooperation and mutual aid: strengthening agreements and sharing resources/training among rural and urban fire departments, EMS, and law enforcement.
    4. Firefighter health and wellness: physical, mental, and emotional impacts and programs to support wellbeing.
    5. Public education and outreach: community fire‑safety programs, defensible‑space education, and youth engagement to build future recruitment pipelines.
    6. Long‑term sustainability and community engagement: reducing environmental impacts and encouraging community‑driven prevention efforts.
  • Stakeholder engagement: OSFM must consult fire chiefs and firefighters from rural departments, statewide firefighter organizations, and rural community leaders.
  • Public input: at least three public hearings (one in each geographic region — Western, Central, Eastern NC) and a public comment period of at least 90 days.
  • Deliverable: OSFM must submit a report with findings and any recommended legislation to the General Assembly by March 1, 2027.
  • Effective date: the act is effective upon becoming law.

Who is affected

  • Rural volunteer and career fire departments across North Carolina.
  • Current and prospective volunteer firefighters and their communities.
  • State agencies involved in emergency services, training, grants, and public safety policy.
  • Potentially local governments and taxpayers if recommendations lead to funding or program changes.

Procedural/timeline highlights

  • Study led by OSFM; public hearings and 90‑day comment period required.
  • Final report and legislative recommendations due to the General Assembly by March 1, 2027.
  • The bill is a study/assessment directive only; it does not appropriate funding or create immediate regulatory changes. Any expenditures or statute changes would require future legislation based on OSFM recommendations.

Potential impact

The study could identify actionable reforms (funding formulas, recruitment incentives, training expansions, mutual aid enhancements, wellness programs, or grant strategies) and produce legislative proposals to strengthen rural firefighting capacity and sustainability statewide.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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