Permits the town board of the town of East Hampton to provide health insurance coverage for enrolled members of the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad as is currently authorized for volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance workers.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5931
SPONSOR: Thiele TITLE OF BILL:
An act permitting the town board of the town of East Hampton to provide
health insurance coverage for enrolled members of the East Hampton
Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad
PURPOSE:
This legislation recognizes the work and commitment of the East Hampton
Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad by permitting the Town of
East Hampton to extend health insurance coverage to enrolled members.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Permits the Town of East Hampton to provide health insurance
coverage for enrolled members of the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue
and Auxiliary Squad and their families. The total cost of participation
shall be borne by the volunteers
Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad (EHVOR)has
been responding to water emergencies, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
since 2003. Their mission is to make expedient and safe water rescues
year-round at all unprotected beaches in East Hampton Town.
Over the last few years, the leadership of EHVOR has worked very hard to
organize and structure the squad in a manner similar to Fire Depart-
ments. They have created and adopted Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs), Bylaws, as well as an updated Memo of Understanding with the
Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton. The Chain of
Command consists of Chiefs, Captains and Lieutenants with three squads
out of Montauk, Amagansett and East Hampton Village. Each of these
squads are set up with Jet ski response vehicles for year-round service
and all of the Suffolk County Volunteer Lifeguards that serve as members
of EHVOR are certified in (NIMS) National Incident Management System so
that they are able to respond to multi-agency calls like the recent
plane crash in Quogue members responded to and supported operations
hand-in-hand with the Coast Guard and other emergency organizations.
They train year-round for all types of water emergencies and have start-
ed to expand training/expertise to other advance water rescues like
swift water rescues for flood situations.
In 2020, the State Legislature enacted a special act for the State of
New York to recognize the critical life-saving functions and services
carried out by EHVOR by authorizing the Town of East Hampton to desig-
nate EHVOR, by the adoption of a resolution by the Town Board, as an
emergency rescue and first aid squad under Section 209-b of the General
Municipal Law (Chapter 147 of the Laws of 2020). Now designated,
members may utilize green emergency lights when en route to rescue
calls.
To continue to recognize these valuable services and bolster recruitment
and retention efforts, this legislation will permit the Town of East
Hampton to provide EHVOR members and their families with health insur-
ance coverage. Those volunteers choosing coverage in the Village's plan
will bear the total cost of participation. Currently, subdivision 7 of
Section 92-a of the General Municipal Law extends this benefit to
EHVOR's emergency responder counterparts in the volunteer fire and
volunteer ambulance services.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023: New legislation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5931
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 24, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Local Governments
AN ACT permitting the town board of the town of East Hampton to provide
health insurance coverage for enrolled members of the East Hampton
Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, where
2 the town board of the town of East Hampton has designated the East Hamp-
3 ton Volunteer Ocean Rescue and Auxiliary Squad as an emergency rescue
4 and first aid squad by resolution of the town board, under section 209-b
5 of the general municipal law or by special act of the legislature, the
6 town board shall be permitted to provide health insurance coverage for
7 the enrolled members of such squad and their families, pursuant to
8 subdivision 7 of section 92-a of the general municipal law, under the
9 same terms and conditions as are authorized for volunteer firefighters
10 and volunteer ambulance workers, including that the total cost of
11 participation by such volunteers and their families shall be borne by
12 the volunteers.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10146-01-3
