LCO \\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2019HB-05455-R02-
HB.docx
1 of 5
General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5455
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING QU ALIFIED FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 23-37 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 2
(a) State forest fire control personnel and district and deputy fire 3
wardens shall, under the supervision of the State Forest Fire Warden, 4
use all necessary means to prevent and extinguish forest fires. 5
(b) Such state forest fire control personnel shall assist the fire chief 6
or the fire officer-in-charge in the control and direction of all persons 7
and apparatus while engaged in extinguishing forest fires in their 8
respective districts, or in other districts under the instructions of the 9
State Forest Fire Warden. 10
(c) Such state forest fire control personnel and fire wardens may 11
destroy fences, plow land or, in an emergency, close roads, with or 12
without detours, and set backfires to hasten the control of any fire. 13
[(d) Such state forest fire control personnel may summon any 14
resident of the state between the ages of eighteen and fifty years to 15
assist in extinguishing fires, and may also require the use of 16
equipment, motor vehicles and other property needed for such 17
purposes. Any person so summoned, who is physically able, who 18
refuses or neglects to assist or to allow the use of equipment, motor 19 Substitute Bill No. 5455
LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2019HB-05455-
R02-HB.docx }
2 of 5
vehicles or other material or property, or wilfully interferes with or 20
hinders any warden or other person having authority under this 21
section, shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars.] 22
(d) If the state forest fire warden determines that additional state 23
forest fire control personnel are required to assist in extinguishing a 24
forest fire in this state, the state forest fire warden may temporarily 25
supplement state forest fire control personnel with temporary 26
emergency workers who meet the training and qualification 27
requirements of the National Incident Management System: Wildland 28
Fire Qualification System Guide published by the National Wildfire 29
Coordinating Group, as amended from time to time. The Department 30
of Administrative Services shall assist the state fire warden in 31
developing appropriate classifications for such temporary emergency 32
workers. 33
(e) No action for trespass shall lie against any person crossing or 34
working upon lands of another to extinguish fire or for investigation 35
thereof. 36
Sec. 2. Subsection (f) of section 7-314a of the general statutes is 37
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 38
1, 2019): 39
(f) Any member of a volunteer fire company or department and any 40
[person summoned by the State Forest Fire Warden or by any state 41
forest fire personnel or district or deputy fire warden under the 42
supervision of the State Forest Fire Warden pursuant to] temporary 43
emergency worker utilized under subsection (d) of section 23-37, as 44
amended by this act, who performs fire duties under the direction of 45
[such] the State Forest Fire Warden, state forest fire personnel or 46
district or deputy fire warden under the supervision of the State Forest 47
Fire Warden pursuant to section 23-37, as amended by this act, shall be 48
construed to be an employee of the state for the purpose of receiving 49
compensation in accordance with the provisions of chapter 568 for 50
death, disability or injury incurred while performing such fire duties 51 Substitute Bill No. 5455
LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2019HB-05455-
R02-HB.docx }
3 of 5
under such direction. 52
Sec. 3. Section 23-40 of the general statutes is repealed and the 53
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 54
The State Forest Fire Warden may appoint patrol personnel, who 55
shall receive compensation for the time actually employed, and may 56
establish and equip fire lookout stations and furnish necessary 57
equipment for such patrol personnel. Any patrol personnel so 58
appointed for such purpose shall have authority [to summon 59
assistance as provided in section 23-37 and] to render bills for such 60
expenses as provided in section 23-39. 61
Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 51-164n of the general statutes is 62
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 63
1, 2019): 64
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any 65
person who is alleged to have committed (1) a violation under the 66
provisions of section 1-9, 1-10, 1-11, 4b-13, 7-13, 7-14, 7-35, 7-41, 7-83, 7-67
283, 7-325, 7-393, 8-12, 8-25, 8-27, 9-63, 9-322, 9-350, 10-193, 10-197, 10-68
198, 10-230, 10-251, 10-254, 12-52, 12-170aa, 12-292, 12-314b or 12-326g, 69
subdivision (4) of section 12-408, subdivision (3), (5) or (6) of section 70
12-411, section 12-435c, 12-476a, 12-476b, 12-487, 13a-71, 13a-107, 13a-71
113, 13a-114, 13a-115, 13a-117b, 13a-123, 13a-124, 13a-139, 13a-140, 13a-72
143b, 13a-247 or 13a-253, subsection (f) of section 13b-42, section 13b-73
90, 13b-221, 13b-292, 13b-336, 13b-337, 13b-338, 13b-410a, 13b-410b or 74
13b-410c, subsection (a), (b) or (c) of section 13b-412, section 13b-414, 75
subsection (d) of section 14-12, section 14-20a or 14-27a, subsection (e) 76
of section 14-34a, subsection (d) of section 14-35, section 14-43, 14-49, 77
14-50a or 14-58, subsection (b) of section 14-66, section 14-66a or 14-78
67a, subsection (g) of section 14-80, subsection (f) of section 14-80h, 79
section 14-97a, 14-100b, 14-103a, 14-106a, 14-106c, 14-146, 14-152, 14-80
153 or 14-163b, a first violation as specified in subsection (f) of section 81
14-164i, section 14-219 as specified in subsection (e) of said section, 82
subdivision (1) of section 14-223a, section 14-240, 14-250 or 14-253a, 83 Substitute Bill No. 5455
LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2019HB-05455-
R02-HB.docx }
4 of 5
subsection (a) of section 14-261a, section 14-262, 14-264, 14-267a, 14-84
269, 14-270, 14-275a, 14-278 or 14-279, subsection (e) or (h) of section 85
14-283, section 14-291, 14-293b, 14-296aa, 14-300, 14-300d, 14-319, 14-86
320, 14-321, 14-325a, 14-326, 14-330 or 14-332a, subdivision (1), (2) or (3) 87
of section 14-386a, section 15-25 or 15-33, subdivision (1) of section 15-88
97, subsection (a) of section 15-115, section 16-44, 16-256e, 16a-15 or 89
16a-22, subsection (a) or (b) of section 16a-22h, section 17a-24, 17a-145, 90
17a-149, 17a-152, 17a-465, 17b-124, 17b-131, 17b-137, 19a-30, 19a-33, 91
19a-39 or 19a-87, subsection (b) of section 19a-87a, section 19a-91, 19a-92
105, 19a-107, 19a-113, 19a-215, 19a-219, 19a-222, 19a-224, 19a-286, 19a-93
287, 19a-297, 19a-301, 19a-309, 19a-335, 19a-336, 19a-338, 19a-339, 19a-94
340, 19a-425, 19a-502, 20-7a, 20-14, 20-158, 20-231, 20-249, 20-257, 20-95
265, 20-324e, 20-341l, 20-366, 20-597, 20-608, 20-610, 21-1, 21-38, 21-39, 96
21-43, 21-47, 21-48, 21-63 or 21-76a, subsection (c) of section 21a-2, 97
subdivision (1) of section 21a-19, section 21a-21, subdivision (1) of 98
subsection (b) of section 21a-25, section 21a-26 or 21a-30, subsection (a) 99
of section 21a-37, section 21a-46, 21a-61, 21a-63 or 21a-77, subsection 100
(b) of section 21a-79, section 21a-85 or 21a-154, subdivision (1) of 101
subsection (a) of section 21a-159, subsection (a) of section 21a-279a, 102
section 22-12b, 22-13, 22-14, 22-15, 22-16, 22-26g, 22-29, 22-34, 22-35, 22-103
36, 22-38, 22-39, 22-39a, 22-39b, 22-39c, 22-39d, 22-39e, 22-49 or 22-54, 104
subsection (d) of section 22-84, section 22-89, 22-90, 22-98, 22-99, 22-105
100, 22-111o, 22-167, 22-279, 22-280a, 22-318a, 22-320h, 22-324a, 22-326 106
or 22-342, subsection (b), (e) or (f) of section 22-344, section 22-359, 22-107
366, 22-391, 22-413, 22-414, 22-415, 22a-66a or 22a-246, subsection (a) of 108
section 22a-250, subsection (e) of section 22a-256h, section 22a-363 or 109
22a-381d, subsections (c) and (d) of section 22a-381e, section 22a-449, 110
22a-461, [23-37,] 23-38, 23-46 or 23-61b, subsection (a) or subdivision (1) 111
of subsection (c) of section 23-65, section 25-37 or 25-40, subsection (a) 112
of section 25-43, section 25-43d, 25-135, 26-18, 26-19, 26-21, 26-31, 26-40, 113
26-40a, 26-42, 26-49, 26-54, 26-55, 26-56, 26-58 or 26-59, subdivision (1) 114
of subsection (d) of section 26-61, section 26-64, subdivision (1) of 115
section 26-76, section 26-79, 26-87, 26-89, 26-91, 26-94, 26-97, 26-98, 26-116
104, 26-105, 26-107, 26-117, 26-128, 26-131, 26-132, 26-138 or 26-141, 117
subdivision (1) of section 26-186, section 26-207, 26-215, 26-217 or 26-118 Substitute Bill No. 5455
LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2019HB-05455-
R02-HB.docx }
5 of 5
224a, subdivision (1) of section 26-226, section 26-227, 26-230, 26-232, 119
26-244, 26-257a, 26-260, 26-276, 26-284, 26-285, 26-286, 26-288, 26-294, 120
28-13, 29-6a, 29-25, 29-143o, 29-143z or 29-156a, subsection (b), (d), (e) 121
or (g) of section 29-161q, section 29-161y or 29-161z, subdivision (1) of 122
section 29-198, section 29-210, 29-243 or 29-277, subsection (c) of section 123
29-291c, section 29-316, 29-318, 29-381, 30-48a, 30-86a, 31-3, 31-10, 31-124
11, 31-12, 31-13, 31-14, 31-15, 31-16, 31-18, 31-23, 31-24, 31-25, 31-32, 31-125
36, 31-38, 31-40, 31-44, 31-47, 31-48, 31-51, 31-52, 31-52a or 31-54, 126
subsection (a) or (c) of section 31-69, section 31-70, 31-74, 31-75, 31-76, 127
31-76a, 31-89b or 31-134, subsection (i) of section 31-273, section 31-288, 128
subdivision (1) of section 35-20, section 36a-787, 42-230, 45a-283, 45a-129
450, 45a-634 or 45a-658, subdivision (13) or (14) of section 46a-54, 130
section 46a-59, 46b-22, 46b-24, 46b-34, 47-34a, 47-47, 49-8a, 49-16, 53-131
133, 53-199, 53-212a, 53-249a, 53-252, 53-264, 53-280, 53-302a, 53-303e, 132
53-311a, 53-321, 53-322, 53-323, 53-331 or 53-344, subsection (c) of 133
section 53-344b, or section 53-450, or (2) a violation under the 134
provisions of chapter 268, or (3) a violation of any regulation adopted 135
in accordance with the provisions of section 12-484, 12-487 or 13b-410, 136
or (4) a violation of any ordinance, regulation or bylaw of any town, 137
city or borough, except violations of building codes and the health 138
code, for which the penalty exceeds ninety dollars but does not exceed 139
two hundred fifty dollars, unless such town, city or borough has 140
established a payment and hearing procedure for such violation 141
pursuant to section 7-152c, shall follow the procedures set forth in this 142
section. 143
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 23-37
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 7-314a(f)
Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 23-40
Sec. 4 July 1, 2019 51-164n(b)
PS Joint Favorable Subst.