Bill helps returning vets become firefighters
Bill helps returning vets become firefighters
29 June 2011
published by http://abclocal.go.com
USA — SACRAMENTO, California — A state lawmaker wants to put returning war veterans to work as California firefighters.
Assemblyman Mike Morrell of Rancho Cucamonga introduced the bill, which would allow the state fire marshal to accept the training the military vets received as equal to Firefighter 1 training.
It means veterans would bypass a lot of red tape and be on the fire lines much faster.
“I want to create jobs and get more people on the fire lines, but I also want to eliminate a lot of the bureaucracy, and this bill enables us to do that,” Morrell said.
Morrell said vets could help make up for the hundreds of firefighter jobs lost through budget cuts.
The bill has already been passed by the Assembly and was approved by a state Senate committee on Tuesday.
